Forty Eight Hours
by Tori of Lorien
Summary: Sequel to Thirty Minutes. Shane McMahon is dead, but when Lexie Brooks is kidnapped, will they be able to find her in time? Or will they each fall victim when no one can be trusted as a deeper plan is revealed?
1. Chapter 1

**Forty-Eight Hours**

**Summary**: Sequel to Thirty Minutes. Shane McMahon is dead, but when Lexie Brooks is kidnapped, will they be able to find her in time? Or will they each fall victim when no one can be trusted as a deeper plan is revealed?

**Rating**: T

**Genre**: Drama/Suspense

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Welcome to the third and final story of this series. I'm so glad you guys liked the first two! Hopefully, you'll like this one also. Just like the first two, there will be plenty of twists, so anything can happen. Once again, shoutouts to **Twisted Skittle**, **purplelygoodnes**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **elliexhardy**, and **x0allisonqt0x** for their help with ideas on this story. Also, special shoutout to **Lucky Cannon** (yes, the NXT rookie) for his insight on later parts of this story. He's an awesome guy, and I'm glad that I got to talk to him the past few days. He's an inspiration. If you're on Twitter, I highly recommend following him. And thanks to you guys for all of your support for the past two stories! So, anyway, I hope you all enjoy this! First chapter go!

_Chapter 1_

A black car pulled into the dark parking lot of the hotel, parking near the back under the shadows of a hanging tree. The man sitting behind the wheel watched the light rainfall hit his windshield, the wipers clearing it soon after, before he took out his cell phone and quickly dialed a number. He drummed the steering wheel a couple times before a woman answered.

_"Hello?"_ Judging by the amount of noise in the background, she was somewhere with a lot of people, most likely a nearby bar.

"Hello, sweetheart," the man said, a half smirk gracing his features.

_"Oh, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon," _the woman replied with a slight laugh. _"Hold on."_

The man waited as he listened to more people laughing and talking loudly until he heard a door opening and closing, and everything was silent.

_"Okay, now I can hear you." _ The woman's voice now had a slight echo to it, making the man think she had gone into the bathroom. _"You're in town, I take it?"_

"Yeah, I'm here," the man told her, looking out his front window at the brightly lit hotel in front of him. "They all are."

The woman sighed. _"All right,"_ she muttered. _"Last I heard, from you was when Shane died..."_

"Tragic." The man then leaned back in his seat. "But that just means it's our turn."

_"When do we make our move?"_

The man took his phone from his ear, glancing at the date and time in the corner of the glowing screen before bringing it back. "I'll let you know, my dear."

_"Okay."_ There was a short pause. _"What are you doing tonight? You're more than welcome to join me here."_

"Though that sounds... very appealing, I have to say not tonight," the man said with a chuckle. "I have a couple more things to take care of."

The woman sighed. _"Fine,"_ she replied, disappointment in her tone. _"So I'll see you soon, then?"_

"Yes, see you soon," the man told her. "Good night."

_"Good night."_

The man ended the call, staring out the window at the rainy night for a moment before dialing another number. It only rang once before a man answered.

_"Are you here?"_

"Since this morning," the man said. "I got here shortly after they did."

_"I just got in,"_ the other man replied. _"Do we have a plan of how to start?"_

"Have I ever had a plan?" The man sighed. "I'll see how tonight goes, and we'll take it from there."

_"All right, Man. Just keep me updated."_

"I will. Bye."

_"Bye."_

The man ended the call and put his cell phone back in his pocket. He shut the car off and stepped out into the cool drizzle, locking it up before starting to cross the dark parking lot to the hotel.

xxx

Matt Hardy pushed open the door of the hotel bar, making his way over to the table where Jeff Hardy was sitting and having a few drinks with their friends Adam Copeland, Jay Reso, and John Hennigan, wanting to take a shower before he joined them. They had spent the night after the house show just unwinding before the super show the next evening.

"You were in the room a while," Jeff joked when his older brother sat down next to him, gesturing to the bartender. "We were about to send Adam up to see if you needed rescuing."

"Not me, Man." Adam raised his hands in protest as Jay and John started laughing. "Sorry, Matt, but you were on your own."

"Good to know I have your support," Matt muttered as the bartender placed a beer in front of him, both he and Adam laughing as they clinked their glasses together. "But it didn't feel like I was there that long. Must have just been thinking, I guess..."

"Don't tell me you're nervous, Man," Jay said. The older Hardy had recently gotten a new WWE contract, and the next night's super show would be his first appearance in almost three years.

"Nervous? Nah, of course, not," Matt replied with a broad smile. "I can't wait to get back in that ring again!"

Jay laughed a little and shook his head slightly as he took a sip of his beer. "Just checking..."

"Do you know what they're going to have you do?" John asked. "Before... the hotel incident, I know you and Drew were having a pretty intense feud. But he's moved on to a different storyline, so obviously that's run its course..."

Matt shrugged. "I have no idea," he answered quietly, taking a drink of his beer. "As far as I know, I'm just going to be doing house shows for a while until they figure out where to put me."

"Better than nothing, I suppose."

"Yeah..." Matt sighed as he finished off his glass, setting it back on the table with a tad more force than he meant to. Though he didn't want to admit it to the others, the beatings he had gotten from Drew Galloway, otherwise known as Drew McIntyre, had taken their toll on him. He knew that the younger man was simply following the script and really had nothing against him, but he was glad to be moving on to something different.

Then, the group of five watched as a man wearing a leather jacket with shoulder length curly black hair entered the hotel. He quickly crossed the lobby to the front desk to sign in, got a room key, and hurried up the stairs and out of sight.

"Wonder what his rush is?" Matt turned back to look at his friends.

"Well, it could be any number of things," Adam muttered with a fake thoughtful expression. "Doesn't want to keep a lady waiting, perhaps? If you catch my drift..." Jay laughed quietly.

"Speaking of, I told Beth I'd give her a call," Jeff muttered, finishing off his drink before pulling out his cell phone. "Be back soon."

"All right, Jeff."

The younger Hardy found his long-time girlfriend's number on speed dial as he walked out into the lobby, pacing as it began to ring.

xxx

Drew Galloway pulled into the parking lot, finding a spot as close to the hotel as he could so they wouldn't have to walk too far in the steadily increasing rainfall. He turned and smiled at Taryn Terrell, his beautiful wife, sitting next to him when she took his hand.

"Thanks for making a stop at the gas station on the way here, hun," she muttered with a smile of her own. "It's the only place that has the kind of gum I like, and I ran out right before the house show."

"No problem," Drew replied with a slight laugh. "But even if it wasn't, I still would have stopped..."

Tarn shook her head as her smile broadened. "I know. But here. Your favorite." She reached into the plastic bag on her lap and pulled out an English toffee candy bar, handing it to him.

"Thanks, sweetheart." Drew stuck the candy she had bought for him in his coat pocket. Then, he sighed when he heard the rain starting to get louder as it pounded on top of the car. "I think it's only going to get heavier. Should we head inside now?"

"If we have to," Taryn muttered, pulling the hood of her coat over her head. She didn't like the rain, but she also knew her husband was right. They could spend the entire night in the car if they tried to wait the rain out.

Drew squeezed her hand. "Come on, let's just go," he replied quietly. "We're not too far from the door."

Taryn sighed, spotting the brightly lit door that was like a beacon through the downpour that was starting. "Sure, let's go."

"Okay." Drew pushed open his door, waiting for Taryn to do the same before he locked the car up. They shut the doors behind them, the bag forgotten in the passenger seat before beginning to hurry toward the hotel.

But as they got closer, a mischievous smirk appeared on Drew's face when he came to a puddle, and he kicked a small amount of water his wife's way. Taryn screamed when it drenched the left leg of her jeans up to her knee. "Drew, I'm _so _going to get you for that!"

Drew only laughed, backing away when she tried kicking water back at him. "It's only a little water, Taryn, you're not going to melt," he told her with a broad grin. But she kept coming at him, and he continued to avoid her.

Taryn chased her laughing husband around the parking lot in front of the hotel for a few minutes, both getting soaked from the puddles and the rain itself. Then, she shrieked when she slipped on a slick piece of concrete, Drew there to catch her.

"You all right, Taryn?" he asked, helping her straighten up.

"Mmm..." Then, a smirk appeared on Taryn's face when she kicked some water onto Drew's jeans. "Now I am."

Drew laughed and shook his head before his wife pulled him into a passionate kiss, the downpour momentarily forgotten. Then, Taryn gasped and pulled away when a bright flash of lightning streaked across the sky, a rumble of thunder echoing loudly around them.

"We should probably head inside," she muttered, trying to catch her breath.

"It would probably be a good idea," Drew agreed with a smile, wrapping his arm around her as he led her up to the hotel.

But as Drew pulled the door open, Taryn suddenly stopped. "Can I have your keys?" she wondered. "I left the bag in the car."

"Sure." Drew reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to the rental car, handing them to his wife. She smiled and said a quick thanks before running back out into the downpour to get to the car. It didn't take her long to grab the bag, lock it back up, and come back to where he was standing. Drew smiled as he took the keys back, giving her a quick kiss before they entered the hotel.

xxx

Phil Brooks sighed, lying in bed with Maria Kanellis as they watched the late night movie on television, Lexie sleeping peacefully on the bed next to them. Maria smiled slightly, her head resting on his chest as he began to run his hand up and down her back.

"She was so happy to see everyone again," she murmured, glancing at their sleeping daughter.

"Yeah, she was," Phil agreed with a slight laugh, looking down at Lexie as well. "I think Jeff is her new best friend."

Maria laughed at the thought. "Yeah, they've gotten close. Adam too. I think she has a crush on him." Then, she sighed. "I can't believe she's going to turn three next month."

Phil smiled. "She's growing so fast," he said. "And she's talking a lot."

"Well, we read to her a lot." Maria closed her eyes, wrapping her arm around Phil. "Though I think it'll only be a matter of time before she starts saying 'I'm better than you.'"

The Straightedge Superstar laughed at the thought of his near three-year-old daughter telling other people that she was better than them. "Well, can you blame her?" he asked jokingly.

"No, I guess not, being the huge daddy's girl she is," Maria answered with a smile, not opening her eyes. "Watch. After seeing you on TV a few more times, she'll start saying it."

"You're on, Ria."

Maria laughed a little as she sat up, leaning down and giving her husband a quick kiss. "Be right back," she muttered.

"Okay." Phil gave her another kiss, watching as she got off the bed and crossed the room to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. He turned his attention to the television, watching as a building exploded with disinterest.

Then, a flash of lightning lit up the dark room quickly followed by a loud rumble of thunder. Phil heard his daughter gasp from next to him, and he looked down at her to see that Lexie was beginning to stir. "It's okay, Lex," he told her, reaching over and rubbing her back.

After a moment, Lexie turned to look at him with wide hazel eyes. "Scared, Daddy," she muttered.

Phil smiled, sitting up on the bed before he picked her up and set her on his lap. "There's nothing to be scared of, Lex," he said, kissing her head. "Look, it's just some rain."

Lexie rested her head on Phil's chest as she looked at the window. She grabbed onto his shirt when she heard when she heard another low rumble of thunder. "But it's loud..."

"I know, I don't like the sound much either," Phil replied. "But it can't hurt you. Here, come see." Holding her close, he got off the bed and walked over to the window. Lexie looked outside at the downpour curiously, gasping when a bolt of lightning lit up the sky as it struck down in the distance.

Phil laughed quietly. "Wasn't that cool, Lex?" he asked.

After a moment of realizing her dad wasn't afraid of the bright light, Lexie laughed a little too. "Yeah, Daddy. It was cool!" she answered. "Again?"

"Yeah, maybe." Phil smiled down at his daughter, watching as she looked back up at him and returned the smile. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.

"Not scared now," she said. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Lex."

xxx

"See you in a couple days. Love you too, Beth. Bye." Jeff ended the call on his cell phone before heading back toward the bar. But he stopped and watched as the door to the hotel opened, and a laughing Drew and Taryn walked into the lobby, both soaked.

"Hey, guys," the younger Hardy greeted.

"Oh, hi, Jeff," Drew said once he stopped laughing.

Jeff laughed a little and shook his head as he looked at the couple. "Looks like you guys had fun," he replied. "Do you want to have a quick drink with us?"

"No thanks, Jeff," Taryn told him with a smile. "I just want to get out of these wet clothes. Another time?"

"Sure, sounds good." Jeff nodded. "Night. See you guys tomorrow."

"Good night, Jeff."

Jeff watched as Drew and Taryn went up the stairs to the second floor before turning and going back into the bar. When he got back to the table with his laughing friends, he saw that they had all finished their drinks.

"Hey, Jeffro," Matt said as his younger brother sat back down next to him. "How's Britt?"

Before Jeff could say anything, the group fell silent as they looked up when the lights on the ceiling flickered, a loud crash of thunder echoing around them. "Dam thunderstorm. Always messes with the lights..." the bartender muttered to himself from behind the counter.

Adam sighed and leaned back in his chair, pulling his cell phone out to check the time. "Well, I hate to say I call it a night, but I'm calling it a night," he said while stifling a yawn. "Long day, and we're going to have another one tomorrow."

"Don't worry about your glasses, I've got them," the bartender told them as he came over to their table. "You all have a good night."

Adam smiled at him. "Thank you," he replied. "You too." Then, he turned to his other three. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Bye." Jeff watched as Adam and Jay left, shortly followed by John. He sighed as he got his feet, smiling when Matt did the same. "I suppose we should head back too, huh?"

"Yeah, probably," Matt muttered. "Let's go." He watched as the bartender continued to pick up their glasses. "Thanks."

The bartender smiled. "No problem. Good night."

"Good night." Matt followed Jeff out of the bar, sighing with relief as they began to head up to their room. It was going to be great to get a good night's sleep.

xxx

The woman left the bathroom and made her way through the bar back to her table. She sighed when she sat down, seeing that a man was now sitting across from her. "I take it he called you too?" she asked, putting her cell phone back in her purse.

"Yep. I just got into town not too long ago. Thought I'd find you here," the man answered. "He told me he's going to wait to see how tonight goes before we make any definite plans."

"Has he ever had a plan?" the woman wondered with a slight smile. "After our original plan failed when Shane and his helpers got stopped, it sounded like he just let it play out."

"Well, remember not everyone is with us anymore," the man muttered. "It's only us three now. A couple people left and Shane is dead..."

The woman nodded. "We just have to continue on, right?"

The man smirked. "Exactly. And we will."

The stopped talking for a moment when a bartender approached their table and set two beers in front of them. "I took the liberty while you were gone," the man said, opening his bottle.

"Well, thank you." The woman opened her bottle as well, and they clinked them together. "To Shane."

"To Shane."

**Author's Note**: Okay! This is going to be kind of like the first one where you guys can try to guess the bad guys (being that there is more than one). Thanks for reading, guys! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Glad you guys liked the first chapter! As far as the bad guys go... Well, you'll find out. But expect anything! Thank you to **vampiregirl2009** (awesome! I love live shows!), **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **ThePinkyPop**, **myers1978**, **vampirebaby13**, and **jcott3 **for your reviews! Enjoy!

_Chapter 2_

The man entered the dark bathroom in his hotel room, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror, his expression firmly set, before quickly calling a number and brought it to his ear, waiting for the other person to answer.

_"Hello?" _the man he had called earlier said.

A smirk appeared on the man's face, making his dark eyes light up. "We make our first move tomorrow."

* * *

"Daddy! Wake up, Daddy!"

Phil groaned as he was roused from sleep by the excited voice, feeling small hands hitting his shoulder repeatedly. "Lex..." he murmured, still not opening his eyes. "It's early..."

But the little girl didn't give up. "Daddy!" Lexie said, continuing to hit his arm. "Daddy!"

Knowing that trying to fall back asleep would be futile, Phil sighed as he opened his eyes, releasing the somehow still sleeping Maria as he turned onto his back and glanced at the clock on the table. It was shortly after six. "Lex, what is it?" he asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

Lexie smiled when she saw that she had succeeded, laughing a little as she sat on his stomach. "Happy, Daddy!" she answered with excitement. "I go with you today!"

"Oh, yeah..." Phil remembered that Maria had made plans with Taryn, and he had agreed to take Lexie so his wife could have a fun, relaxing day. That was why their daughter was so excited.

"Daddy," Lexie muttered, crossing her arms and pouting at him.

Phil laughed, ruffling the near three-year-old's hair. "All right, girlie. Give me some time to get up, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy!"

Maria woke up about an hour later, and she smiled as she watched Phil sit on the end of the bed and put Lexie's hair into two pigtails. "All set, girl," he said with a smile, kissing her cheek.

Lexie grinned as she jumped off the bed. "Yay! Come on, Daddy! Hungry!"

"Yes, we'll go get some breakfast," Phil told her. "Let me just tell Mommy."

"No need, Phil," Maria muttered with a yawn as she sat up on the bed. "I already know."

Phil smiled, scooting closer to his wife and meeting her lips in a tender but loving kiss. "Anything you want?" he wondered.

"Could you just grab me a coffee?"

"Sure." Phil gave her another quick kiss.

Then, Lexie came up next to the bed where her mother was, holding her arms up to show that she wanted to be lifted up. Maria smiled, picking up the little girl and setting her on her lap. "Have fun with Daddy today, okay, sweetie?" she said, kissing her nose.

Lexie laughed, wrapping her arms around Maria's neck in a hug. "Oh, I will!" she replied excitedly. "I love you, Mommy!"

"Love you too, Lexie," Maria told her, smiling when she went over to Phil. "See you tonight."

"Okay, Mommy!"

"I'll be back with your coffee in a minute, Ria," Phil said before he also got off the bed.

Maria nodded. "Take your time, sweetheart."

Phil smiled at his wife as he took Lexie's hand, helping her across the hotel room. Maria smiled again as she watched them step out into the hallway, the door closing behind them.

Once Phil slowly and carefully helped Lexie down the stairs to the lobby, she gasped and pointed in front of her. The Straightedge Superstar looked up, laughing when he saw Adam and Jay leaving the cafe, both with coffee cups in their hands and talking about something.

"Adam!"

Her explanation stopped Adam right in the middle of whatever he was saying to his best friend, but a broad smile appeared on his face when he saw the little girl. He handed his coffee to Jay and took a few steps forward so he that he was closer to Phil and Lexie before he dropped down to one knee in spear position. Lexie giggled, releasing her father's hand and running at him, giving him a tackle hug.

"Spear!" she said happily.

Adam laughed as he hugged the little girl back. "Hey, you're getting pretty good at that," he told her, smiling at Lexie as she stood up in front of him. "Have you been practicing on your dad like I told you to?"

"Yes, she has," Phil muttered as he joined the two. "And as soon as she said 'spear,' I knew who she got it from."

"Sorry for corrupting your child," Adam told him with a grin. Phil just laughed.

Then, Adam turned his attention back to Lexie when she placed her small hand on his cheek, and he was surprised to see that her face was close to his. "Yes, my dear?"

Lexie smiled as she lowered her hand. "Your beard feels funny," she said, whatever she had originally going to say forgotten about.

"Does it tickle?"

"Yeah," Lexie giggled. "Smaller than Daddy's."

"I don't grow my beards as big as your dad's," Adam told her. "It looks better." Lexie looked away and laughed again.

Phil smiled, the girl's slight shyness around the other man not going unnoticed. "Hey, Adam?" he wondered. "Would you and Jay mind watching her for a few minutes? I told Ria I'd get her a coffee."

"Sure, not a problem," Adam assured him as Jay sat down next to him. "I promise I'll be on my best behavior and not corrupt her any more than I already have."

"I'm not holding my breath," Phil muttered, making Adam laugh. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem." Jay watched as Phil went into the cafe to get the drink for his wife before turning his attention to Lexie when she sat between them.

"Hi, Jay!" she said with a smile.

"Hey, Lexie," Jay replied, smiling when she gave his arm a quick hug. "Doing okay?"

"Yeah. Okay." Then, she watched as Jay handed Adam his coffee back. "What's that?"

"It's coffee," Adam told her, taking a quick sip.

"What's... coffee?" Lexie asked. "Can I try?"

"You probably wouldn't like it, Lexie," Jay answered. "It doesn't taste very good."

"Then why you drink it?" Lexie looked from Adam to Jay and back with confusion.

Adam and Jay glanced at each other. "Um... It's something us adults do, I guess..." the Rated R Superstar muttered.

Lexie laughed at them. "You silly."

Then, the three of them watched as Phil quickly walked by with a coffee cup in his hand, hurrying up the stairs and out of sight. Adam looked down at the little girl, a smirk spreading across his face. "Hey, Lexie, wanna' learn a new name?"

"Yeah!" Lexie said with excitement as she pushed herself up to her knees, placing her hands on Adam's leg as she smiled up at him. "What?"

Adam chuckled softly while Jay looked at him curiously. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes!" Lexie started to bounce impatiently.

"All right, all right, just making sure," Adam said with a broad smile. "It's failure... turtle." He spoke the last two words slower so the near three-year-old could repeat them.

"You're terrible, Adam," Jay muttered as he took a sip of coffee, but he laughed anyway.

Adam smirked at his best friend. "I know."

Lexie stopped bouncing, tilting her head to the side. "Fail... fail... fail..."

"That's close enough," Jay said with a smile while Adam nodded. "Fail turtle."

"Fail... turtle."

Adam and Jay both started laughing, giving each other a high five. "You got it, girl!"

Lexie grinned. "Fail turtle!" Then, she looked at Adam curiously again. "What it mean?"

"Well, it's a name that you can call people," Adam explained. "Everyone except me and Jay, of course."

"Why?"

Before Adam could begin to tell her that he and Jay were too awesome to be called fail turtles, a new voice interrupted him. "Hey, how did you gust get Lexie? Did you kidnap her or something?"

"Oh, yeah, she doesn't want to be by us," Jay answered, watching as Matt Hardy walked over to them. "Right, Lexie?"

Lexie shook her head. "No, I like you!" she protested, sitting on Adam's lap.

Jay laughed. "I know, I was just kidding, Lexie," he told her."

"Oh." Lexie laughed too.

Matt smiled as he crouched in front of Adam and Lexie, nodding to the girl. "Hey, kiddo."

Lexie looked at him for a moment before getting close to Adam's ear. "What his name again?" she whispered a bit louder than she realized.

Adam smiled. "Matt," he told her just as loud, the older Hardy laughing quietly at how obvious he was being.

"Oh." Then, Lexie looked over at Matt again. "Hi, Matt!"

Matt smiled as he got back to his feet, Jay doing the same. Adam looked at his two friends, carefully taking Lexie off his lap as he stood up too, noticing the young girl was staying close to his leg.

"So, why do you have the little one?" Matt wondered.

"We're watching her for Phil," Adam explained. "He's running some coffee up to Maria."

"Ah, okay. That-!" Then, Matt hissed in pain, and he closed his eyes as he put his hand to his head.

The sudden sound startled Lexie, and she grabbed Adam's hand. Adam looked down at her with a small smile. "It's okay," he said.

But Lexie's eyes stayed on Matt, watching as his dark eyes opened. They moved to her for a moment, and she tightened her grasp on Adam's hand until they closed again.

"You all right, Matt?" Jay asked with concern.

After a moment, Matt shook his head slightly as he looked at Jay. "Sorry, I had this bad headache for a minute," he muttered. "But it's gone now. It's something that's been happening lately."

"Hmm. Well, at least it's gone," Jay replied, taking a sip of coffee. "I hate when that happens."

"Yeah..."

Lexie looked up at Adam as she let go of his hand, extending her arms out. "Up."

Adam looked back at her, bending down as he picked her up with one arm since he had his coffee in the other hand, and he straightened back up and balanced her on his hip. Lexie wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, laying her head on his shoulder.

Then, the door to the hotel opened, and Matt and Adam's eyes widened with surprise when they watched a woman with red, shoulder-length hair lift a pair of sunglasses to rest on top of her head as she entered the lobby. "Amy?" the older Hardy asked.

At the sound of her name, Amy Dumas looked around the lobby, and a smile appeared on her face when she saw the three men. "Hey! I heard you guys were doing a show in town tonight," she said as she approached them. Thought I'd join the party!"

Matt continued to look at her with surprise. "It's been a while,' he muttered.

Amy looked back at him, some annoyance crossing her face. "Yeah," she replied quickly looking away again. A smile replaced the annoyed look when she saw the man next to him. "Hey, Jay."

Jay nodded as he returned the smile. "Amy."

Then, Amy looked at the Rated R Superstar, and she raised an eyebrow when she saw the small girl in his arm. "Adam. You've... matured."

Adam chuckled softly, and Lexie lifted her head off his shoulder. "Nah, she's not mine," he corrected. "Just watching her for a few minutes for Phil."

"Oh." Amy laughed a little herself. "Should have known by the hair and eyes. But she's adorable." She leaned a little closer to the girl. "Hey, sweetie."

Lexie looked at Amy for a moment before looking up at Adam for confirmation. Adam nodded once, and she smiled as she looked back at the woman. "Hi."

Amy smiled back at her as she straightened up again. "Well, I've gotta check in and get my room," she told them. "I'll see you guys later."

"Okay, see you around," Jay agreed.

Matt watched as Amy looked back at him, her smile vanishing, before she crossed the lobby to sign in at the front desk. He hadn't expected to see her there.

Then, they watched as Phil came back down the stairs, Amy walking past him as she headed toward them. The Straightedge Superstar seemed surprised to see her, but he gave her a quick smile before joining the trio with his daughter.

"Hey, hope she wasn't any trouble," Phil said with a smile.

"Daddy!" Lexie exclaimed.

"None at all," Adam replied, returning the smile as he set the near three-year-old on the floor so she could hug her father's leg.

Phil laughed, patting his daughter's head before looking back at Adam. "Ria and I think she may have a bit of a crush on you," he muttered so his daughter couldn't hear. "You know how little kids can be."

Adam shook his head and laughed a little himself. "Jay was telling me the same thing yesterday," he told him just as quietly. "Don't worry, I think it's cute."

"Okay, as long as you don't mind."

"Nope. She's a little kid. She'll forget all about it."

Phil laughed. "True." Then, he smiled down at Lexie when she started pulling on the leg of his jeans. "Yes, Lex?"

"Hungry, Daddy!" Lexie said.

"Okay, girlie, we'll get some breakfast," Phil assured her before looking back at the other three. "See you guys later."

"Yep. I'm gonna go find my little brother," Matt replied. "See ya'."

Lexie watched as Matt headed up the stairs before turning to Adam and grabbing his hand. "You eat?" she asked.

"Oh, um..." Adam looked up at Phil, who was quietly laughing at him as he nodded before smiling down at Lexie. "Sure, girl, I can eat something."

"Yay! Come on!" Lexie began to pull him toward the cafe.

Adam looked over his shoulder at his best friend as he was led along. "I'll meet up with you later, Jay," he told him.

"Okay, Man. Have fun." Jay grinned as he watched them, taking a sip of his coffee.

Phil laughed. "Ria and I agree with you about the crush thing," he muttered to the other man.

Jay nodded. "Oh, yeah," he replied. "Adam, Lexie's first so-called crush. You know it's not real."

"If it was, I'd kick Adam's ass," Phil told him with a smile. "But I know how kids are, fortunately for Adam."

"Yep. It'll pass." A smirk appeared on Jay's face. "But for now, it's hilarious."

"That it is."

"Come on, Daddy!" Lexie called, stopping in front of the cafe with Adam and looking back at Phil with impatience.

"I'm coming, Lexie," Phil told her, smiling again at the other man. "We'll continue this later, Jay."

"All right, Phil. See you later."

Phil chuckled quietly to himself as he walked toward Lexie and Adam, looking forward to having a fun breakfast with them to start off his day with his daughter.

* * *

After a long time in the cafe with Adam, Phil and Lexie went back up to their hotel room. Maria was gone, but she had left a cheerful note for them on the bed.

_Have a wonderful day, my lovelies! I'll see you both tonight._

_Much love, Ria_

"What did Mommy say?" Lexie asked, looking up at Phil expectantly.

"She said to have a wonderful day," Phil answered with a smile. "Which is what we're going to do, right, Lex?"

"Yes, Daddy!"

Phil laughed, kissing his daughter's head before setting the note back on the bed. "All right, girlie. In a little bit, we have to head out to the gym so I can get ready for my match at the show tonight."

Lexie looked up at him curiously. "Who you fight?" she wondered.

"I'm fighting with Drew against John and Matt," Phil told her.

"Drew? He talks cool," Lexie said with a giggle.

Phil smiled, glancing at the clock next to the bed. "Well, ready to drive out to the gym, Lex?"

Lexie smiled back. "Yes, Daddy! Get strong like you!"

"We'll see," Phil replied, taking the little girl's hand. "Let's go."

After quickly changing and a quick drive to the gym later, Phil was walking through the group of people working out, an excited Lexie in tow. The Straightedge Superstar set his bag down on the bench next to the water fountain, pulling out his empty water bottle he had to refill.

Lexie looked around at the other people, a shining silver weight catching her eye. But before she could head over to it, a familiar voice floated over to her.

"Lifting weights?"

A huge smile on her face as Lexie looked up at the purple-haired man standing in front of her, recognizing the Southern twang. "Jeff!" she explained.

Jeff Hardy laughed as he knelt down, giving her a quick hug. "Hey there, cutie," he said.

Lexie laughed a little. "You work out with me and Daddy?" she asked.

"I wish I could, but Matt and I already got our workout in," Jeff answered, gesturing to his brother standing behind him. "He has a couple more errands to run before the show tonight, and I have a couple things to do back at the hotel."

"Can't stick around?" Phil wondered with a smile.

"Nah, not today," Jeff told them, getting to his feet. "But maybe next time, okay, Lexie?"

Lexie pouted up at him, but then she smiled and hugged his leg. "Okay, Jeff," she replied. "Next time."

Jeff laughed a little, patting her head. "That's my girl."

"Hey, Phil," Matt said to the Straightedge Superstar. "I was talking to John earlier, and we were saying how we wanted to meet before the show tonight to go over the last minute details for the match. That okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Phil replied. "I'll find you guys at the arena."

"Sounds good." Matt smiled at him. "So we'll see you then."

"See you guys later." Phil watched as both Hardys left the gym, parting ways at the door to go to their separate cars. He then turned to Lexie, who had sat on the floor. "Stay right there, Lex," he told her, unscrewing the lid on his water bottle and putting it under the fountain.

"Okay, Daddy!" Lexie watched as her dad continued to fill up his bottle for a couple minutes before looking back at the weight a small distance away from her. She glanced at Phil one more time before getting to her feet and walking over, reaching toward the shining, silver weight.

But then, a shadow fell over her. Lexie looked up at the man in front of her, tilting her head to the side curiously as she looked into his cold, dark eyes.

* * *

Phil finished filling his bottle and screwed the top back on, smiling as he turned to face his daughter. "All right, girlie, let's-!"

But his sentence abruptly cut off as the smile vanished from his face when he saw that she was no longer where she had been. "Lexie?" The water bottle dropped from his hand as he began to run around the gym, pushing past people as he looked around for his daughter. "Lexie!"

He longed to hear Lexie's high-pitched voice or excited laughter, telling him that she had fooled him, but that wasn't the case. Phil ignored the strange looks he was getting from the other people, continuing to look everywhere around the gym and screaming his daughter's name. But she was nowhere to be found. Phil then stepped outside into the bright sunlight, his one last hope of finding his little girl. "Lexie!"

But then, Phil froze when he saw a folded sheet of paper lying on the sidewalk near his foot, his name written on the top. He knelt down and picked it up, slowly unfolding it to read the ominous note scrawled on the inside.

_This is only the beginning._

**Author's Note**: Who took Lexie? Leave your guesses in your reviews! Things will start to pick up soon. Thanks for reading, guys! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, everyone! Thanks to **vampiregirl2009 Wolfgirl77769** (I met Jericho, lol), **x0allisonqt0x**, **Vampirebaby13**, **elliexhardy**, and **ThePinkyPop** for your reviews! You're awesome! Hope you enjoy this chapter too! The clues are there. You just have to find them ;) Lol, enjoy!

_Chapter 3_

Jeff sighed as he came to a stop at a red light, reaching into the back seat for his bag. He grabbed a hold of the handle and set it in the passenger seat beside him, unzipping it to grab his water bottle. But as he felt around for it, he sighed when he didn't find it. He must have left it back at the gym.

Once the light turned green, Jeff drove into the intersection and made a left so he could circle back to the gym. It wasn't a huge deal, but he'd rather go back for his water bottle than not. He pulled to a stop across the street from the gym and got out, locking his car up before crossing.

But he stopped with surprise when he saw Phil kneeling on the sidewalk in front of the gym, staring at a piece of paper in his hand. "Hey, you all right, Man?" he asked, stopping next to him.

Phil didn't answer for a long moment as he continued to stare at the words written on the paper. "Lexie..." he whispered.

"What about her?" Jeff knelt down next to the Straightedge Superstar, gently taking the paper from him. He quickly read over the message, not understanding its meaning.

After a long moment, Phil slowly turned to look at the younger Hardy, a thin line of tears in his eyes. "She's gone."

* * *

Maria laughed as Taryn finished telling her about her and Drew's adventure in the hotel parking lot. The two women were sitting in a cafe out on the town, having a late lunch. "Sounds like you two had fun," she said. "I love playing in the rain."

"Yeah... I guess," Taryn reluctantly admitted, though there was a smile on her own face.

Before Maria could say anything else, her cell phone began to ring. She reached into her purse that was sitting on the table next to her plate, pulling her phone out and seeing it was her husband's name flashing on the screen. "Hey, Phil, what's up?"

_"Maria."_

When she heard a different voice than Phil's, Maria's eyes narrowed in concern. "Jeff?" she asked. "What's going on?"

There was a long moment of silence on the other end before Jeff sighed. _"Maria, I hate to tell you this," _he muttered, sorrow in his tone, _"But Lexie's gone."_

Maria felt a wave of panic swarm over her. "Gone?" she repeated, her voice faltering. "What do you mean gone?"

_"Someone took her," _Jeff elaborated hesitantly. _"I'm driving Phil back to the hotel now."_

"Oh, my God..." Maria's hand flew to her mouth as tears rushed to her eyes.

_"Listen, Maria. We're going to get her back,"_ Jeff told her firmly.

After a moment, Maria nodded, though she knew he couldn't see her. "I'll... I'll join you at the hotel," she whispered, a couple of tears falling from her eyes.

Jeff sighed. _"Hang in there, Maria,"_ he muttered. _"Be strong. We'll see you in a little bit."_

"Okay." Maria ended the call and put her phone back in her purse, silent for a moment as she looked down at her lap. Taryn reached forward and placed her hand on her arm.

"What's wrong, Maria?" she asked with worry.

Maria didn't answer as she bit down on her lip, trying to fight the fresh wave of tears that were threatening to fall. But her resolve didn't last long as sobs soon began to shake her body, the tears rolling freely down her cheeks.

Taryn stood up and wrapped her arms tightly around the red-haired woman, hoping to comfort her. "Maria, what happened?"

After a long moment, Maria got herself under control. "Someone... took Lexie," she murmured, taking a deep breath as she wiped her tears away. "We have to go back to the hotel."

* * *

Jeff sighed as he sat in the chair next to Phil in the hotel lobby, looking at his friend sadly. His hazel eyes were blank as he stared down at the floor, his fists unconsciously clenching and unclenching. "Phil?"

The other man didn't reply for a long moment. Jeff sighed again and looked away, feeling the awkward tension between them. He couldn't blame him for being devastated since his child was missing, but he wished that he would at least say something.

"Yeah?" Phil finally wondered in a voice barely above a whisper.

Jeff turned back to Phil, seeing that he still wasn't looking at him. "We're going to get her back," he said with conviction.

Phil slowly looked over at the younger Hardy. "I don't know... who would do this, Jeff," he muttered.

"I know," Jeff told him quietly. "But we're going to find out."

Before Phil could reply, they watched as Adam and Jay came down the stairs and hurried over to them. "Hey, I got your text," Adam said to the younger Hardy as they approached. "What happened?"

"I'd rather explain it once everyone else gets here," Jeff replied. Adam nodded.

Jay moved his gaze to Phil, his eyes narrowing with concern. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Phil didn't look up at the other man as he slowly shook his head. "It's all my fault..." he answered in a mutter. Adam and Jay exchanged confused looks.

Then, they watched as John crossed the lobby to them, his hair tied back and a towel wrapped around his shoulders. "Sorry I didn't get here sooner. I got your text in the middle of my workout," he told them. "What's going on?"

Before Jeff could say anything, the door to the lobby opened and Matt walked in with Drew. "What's up, Jeffro?" the older Hardy wondered when they approached the group.

Jeff sighed, closing his eyes as he put his fingers on the bridge of his nose for a moment before looking up at everyone's expectant faces. "Lexie... was kidnapped," he told them quietly.

There was a moment of stunned silence as shock fell over the rest of the group. The younger Hardy sighed, looking at Phil with worry when he tensed beside him.

"_What_?" Adam was the first to speak as he took a step forward. "Where... when... who..."

"Phil, this isn't your fault," Jay began to say. "It..."

"Did they leave a ransom note or anything?" John asked.

"Do you have any idea who would take her?" Matt wondered.

"Do they want something from you?" Drew pressed.

Phil slowly looked up at his friends, their voices blending together as they all asked him questions. He knew they were only concerned about him and his daughter, but they were giving him a headache. "Stop!" he finally snapped. "Just... give me a minute..."

Jeff stood up as well, watching with concern as Phil crossed the lobby, pushing the door open and going outside. Adam ran his hand through his hair while Jay sighed, John and Drew exchanging worried looks.

"Do you know anything, Jeff?" Matt finally ventured to ask.

The younger Hardy sighed as he looked at his brother. "I don't know much," he answered quietly. "But after we left, I went back to the gym since I forgot my water bottle. I found Phil outside with a piece of paper saying 'this is only the beginning.'"

"That's it?" John wondered. "No. Here's the note."

Jeff took the piece of paper when Jeff held it out to him, Matt and Adam looking at it over his shoulders as he unfolded it and read the quick message. "That is it..."

"Strange," Adam muttered thoughtfully. "I mean, what's the point of taking Lexie if whoever took her doesn't want anything out of it?"

"Could be more personal," Drew suggested. "But even then, usually the kidnapper would demand some sort of payment or something."

"Exactly." John sighed as he handed the paper back to Jeff. "I don't know who would want to hurt Phil, but they're doing a damn good job of it by going through his daughter."

Jay sighed, worried about the little girl that was close to all of them. He didn't understand why someone would take her. Then, he glanced at his best friend, noticing the confusion on his face. "What's on your mind?" he wondered.

Adam slowly shook his head. "I don't know, Jay," he told him quietly. "Something just doesn't feel right to me..." He noticed Matt looking at him out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored him.

Jeff put the paper back in his pocket sadly, watching as Maria ran over to Phil and hugged him tightly outside. "There is one thing I know for sure though," he murmured. "We will get that girl back."

* * *

If only he had been watching her more closely...

Phil sighed heavily as he stepped outside the hotel, squinting slightly in the bright sunlight. He took a deep breath, beginning to pace as he willed his racing heart to return to its normal rate.

... he wouldn't have lost his daughter.

That thought caused Phil's heart to break, and he fought back the tears that threatened to fall as he bit down hard on his bottom lip. He could just imagine how scared she must have been being with people she didn't know in a place she didn't recognize...

"Phil!"

At the anxious sound of the familiar voice, Phil stopped pacing, not looking up as Maria approached him. He didn't react when she wrapped her arms around him tightly, but he slowly wound one arm around her when he felt by her shaking shoulders that she was silently crying.

"Who would take her, Phil?" Maria whispered, taking a shaking breath.

Phil then pulled his wife closer to him, burying his face in her red hair as a few tears leaked from his own eyes. "We're going to get her back, Ria," he told her just as quietly, hoping his tone was controlled. He had to be strong for her. "I promise."

* * *

"So Adam's taking Phil's place?"

John sighed as he locked up his rental car, turning to look back at Drew. "Yeah," he answered. "He and Phil talked to Vince to tell him that Phil wasn't going to be able to make it tonight, and Adam offered to fill in. The match itself won't be much different." He started to walk down the sidewalk with Drew and Taryn, heading toward the arena.

Taryn sighed, brushing a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. "I feel terrible for Phil and Maria," she muttered, shaking her head. "To lose a child must be awful..."

"We're going to find her," John told her. "But to leave no demands is strange."

"Or they may just be inexperienced," Drew suggested. "But regardless, we'll hear something, I'm sure."

"I'm sure."

Drew sighed as they pulled open the door to the arena and walked inside. "I just hope we find that poor girl soon."

* * *

The man turned off the sink in the bathroom, looking up at his reflection in the mirror in front of him. He brushed them back, quickly drying his hands with a paper towel. Then, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number, beginning to pace as it rang.

_"Hello?"_

Smiling, the man stopped pacing when he heard her familiar voice. "Hello, sweetheart," he said.

_"Oh, hey," _ the woman replied. _"Your plan for the girl worked. She's safe with us."_

"Good," the man muttered. "I'm at the arena now."

_"I'll be there shortly," _the woman told him. _"He'll watch over the girl."_

The man smirked. "I'm looking forward to it." Then, he ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket. He walked to the door of the bathroom and opened it a bit, watching as John Hennigan, Drew Galloway, and Taryn Terrell entered the arena, talking quietly amongst themselves. His smirk broadened as he left the bathroom, watching the trio for a moment before walking in the opposite direction.

When the time was right, he would make his move.

* * *

Matt rubbed his eyes as he pushed open the door of the locker room, dropping his bag down onto a bench before starting to change into his ring attire. A headache had started when he had arrived at the arena, but he was just relieved that it had subsided before the show began. He had to focus on his upcoming match with John, Drew, and now Adam since Phil was in no condition to put on a show.

He left the locker room once he was changed, smiling when he saw that the three men he would be performing with were already waiting for him.

"Hey, Man, ready to kick their asses?" John asked with a grin, raising his rhinestone sunglasses to sit on top of his head.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, we're not going to make it _that_ easy for you," he muttered.

Matt laughed a little. "Yeah. I'm totally ready!" he said with a smile. "Let's just one on one hell of a match. I want my comeback to be memorable."

* * *

Taryn pulled up a chair and sat down in front of a television monitor to watch the show from backstage until her match came up. She kept her phone tightly in her hand, anxious for any word from Jeff or Jay since they were staying back at the hotel with Phil and Maria, but there had been nothing yet.

Then, she looked behind her when she heard another chair being pulled up, and a smile appeared on Taryn's face when she saw the red-haired woman. "Hey, Amy, good to see you!" she said, getting to her feet. "I heard you were visiting."

"Yeah," Amy replied with a smile of her own, hugging the other woman. "I heard what happened to Phil's daughter. So terrible..."

"I know," Taryn muttered as she sat back down. "I feel so bad. But we're going to get her back."

Amy nodded as she sat down in the chair next to her, sighing as she looked up at the television monitor when a familiar entrance theme began. "I hope so."

* * *

_"You think you know me."_

Adam walked out onto the ramp in front of hundreds of booing fans as his entrance theme began, throwing his hands up as sparks went off behind him. He then ran down to the ring and slid in beneath the bottom rope, looking around at the crowd before he got to his feet. He knew that all of his concentration needed to be on the match, but he also knew that was going to be hard since his mind was on the missing Lexie.

Then, "Broken Dreams" began to play, and Adam watched as Drew, his tag team partner, joined him in the ring. He shook the other man's hand, smirking at him to stay in character.

"Good luck tonight," Drew muttered to him, and Adam knew that night was going to be hard on him and their opponents too.

"Thanks, you too," Adam replied just as quietly. They would all need it.

"Ain't No Make Believe" and "Live for the Moment" played one after the other to thunderous cheers as John and then Matt joined them in the ring, and the bell to start the match was rung. Adam stayed in the ring and started off against John as they met up in the center of the squared circle, the former getting an early advantage.

Their bout continued to go back and forth until John tagged in Matt, and the crowd erupted into cheers as the older Hardy hit the Rated R Superstar with a clothesline. After Adam missed a spear, he quickly tagged in Drew, and he went back to their corner as the match continued.

The match went smoothly until Adam noticed that Matt was starting to lose his focus. For a minute, he assumed it was because it was his first time back in the ring, but then realized it was a bit more than that as he watched him blink repeatedly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he continued to put his hand to his head. Something wasn't right.

But before Adam could signal to John for a tag, he watched with shock as Matt suddenly lunged at Drew, using a bit more force than necessary in every strike. Drew tried to get away from him and make it back to their corner for a tag, but Matt wouldn't allow him to as he angrily pulled him back to the center of the ring and slammed him down forcefully. Adam bit his lip nervously as the crowd cheered around him, knowing that he was supposed to be tagged in at that point as he watched Drew try to protect his head as the older Hardy continued his relentless attack.

Adam looked up at John across the ring again, seeing that the other man looked just as concerned as he was about what was happening. They exchanged quick glances, and John nodded to him before he looked back at Matt, noticing that his demeanor seemed as though it had completely changed as he continued going after Drew. His face appeared much crueler, his eyes much darker and filled with rage...

"Drew, push him back!" Adam said, hoping that his tag team partner could get Matt back far enough where John could tag in since he was standing on the ropes, reaching out for the older Hardy.

The Scotsman heard him, and with a burst of strength, he pushed Matt back toward his corner. John reached out further and tapped his shoulder, jumping over the ropes to knock Drew away from Matt.

"Are you okay?" John asked quietly as they sold the injuries from the maneuver.

"I... I think so," Drew answered, though John could see a bruise beginning to form beneath his right eye. "Let's just get this match over wtih."

John nodded as he and Drew both began to sit up, but he gasped when he saw Matt still coming after Drew even though he wasn't supposed to be in the ring. But before he got too close, Adam ran forward and caught him with a spear, causing both of them to roll out of the ring.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Matt?" Adam hissed as he pushed himself to his knees. "I know this is your comeback and all, but stick to the damn script!"

It took a moment longer for Matt to sit up, and when he did, he slowly turned to look at Adam with a small smile on his face. "Sorry. I just... got a bit carried away," he muttered calmly.

Adam narrowed his eyes slightly, watching with confusion as Matt got to his feet and began to walk back up the ramp as John's theme song began to play. He stood up, turning to look back at the ring as the crowd cheered around him to see that John was interacting with the fans after he pinned Drew. The Scotsman slowly rolled out of the ring, and the Rated R Superstar could see the pain in his eyes. He looked back at the ramp, watching as Matt disappeared from sight, and he sighed quietly.

What had happened?

* * *

"I know Matt wanted to make his comeback memorable, but what the hell was he thinking?" John asked as he and Adam left the locker room together. "He could have hurt Drew!"

"He claimed that he just got a bit carried away," Adam answered quietly, shaking his head. "I don't know... If you ask me, that was more than just getting carried away..."

"Good thing Drew's being looked over by a medic." John sighed as they stopped in the main entrance of the arena. "Thanks for offering to take him and Taryn back to the hotel."

"No problem," Adam replied with a smile. "Head on back. I'll bring them back later."

John returned the smile. "If you see Matt..."

Adam nodded. "I'll see if he's calmed down."

"All right. See you later." John pushed open the door and stepped out into the night, walking down the sidewalk toward the parking lot. He noticed a red-haired woman he recognized to be Amy walking ahead of him, and she quickly got into her car. She started it, glancing at him for a second before driving away.

Suddenly, John gasped with surprise when a pair of strong hands grabbed his arms from behind and slammed him against the outer wall of the arena. His bags fell from his hand as he slid down to the sidewalk, crying out in pain when he was kicked forcefully in the side. Curling in on himself as he gasped for breath, John saw that a man was towering over him, his face hidden by a hood over his head.

**Author's Note**: And that's it for this one! I'm sure I've just created a lot more questions, lol, which some will be answered soon. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hope everyone had a great weekend! A couple friends and I went to see a RAW house show, and that was a lot of fun! After talking to John Morrison again and getting a hug from him, I feel kinda bad about the last chapter I posted... lol! But, we'll see if he's okay! Thanks to **vampiregirl2009 Wolfgirl77769**, **ThePinkyPop**, **stephiexo95**, **x0allisonqt0x**, and **myers1978** for your reviews! Hope you guys like this one too!

_Chapter 4_

Adam paced the entrance way as John left, sighing as he pulled out his cell phone to check the time. He didn't mind waiting for Drew and Taryn, but he was also anxious to get back to the hotel to see if there had been any word about Lexie.

Then, he stopped when he noticed slight movement out of the corner of his eye, and Adam watched as a man wearing a black leather jacket with a hood over his head slowly walked in the same direction John did. He began to pace again, but he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that there was something off about that man.

Sighing quietly, Adam put his cell phone back in his pocket and set his bag on the floor before pushing the door open and walking out into the night.

* * *

John stared up at the man in horror, but then he lunged his foot out and watched as it collided forcefully with his knee. His attacker held back a cry of pain as he bent over a little, and John began to get to his feet.

But he didn't get far when the man recovered quickly, and John cried out when his foot came down on his left ankle. He collapsed back to the sidewalk, grabbing his throbbing foot and trying to hold it close to him protectively. The man's foot then came in contact with the side of his head, and John blinked repeatedly to try to hold onto his consciousness, dazed from the impact.

The man reached down and grabbed John's long brown hair, yanking him roughly to his feet. He started to pull him after him as eh walked down the sidewalk, John stumbling behind him. They went around the corner, and John grunted with pain when he was tossed back to the ground. The man crouched down next to him, looking at him carefully as he started to reach into his leather jacket.

"Hey!"

John tried to look around when he recognized the sudden voice, and the man quickly got to his feet and ran. A moment later, Adam came into his line of vision, his eyes narrowing angrily as he watched the retreating figure. The Rated R Superstar then knelt down next to him and placed his hand on his arm.

"You okay?" Adam asked, looking down at his friend with concern. He saw a thin trail of blood running down his cheek from under his brown hair. "Do you know who attacked you? Was anything taken?"

"Yeah," John answered quietly, wincing as he slowly sat up with a little help from Adam. "I'll be fine. No, I didn't see his face... And I don't think so..."

Adam sighed as he watched the other man, but then his eyes narrowed when he noticed something next to his leg. "What's this?"

John looked up at him curiously. "What?" he wondered.

"This... Whoever attacked you must have dropped it." Adam reached over and picked it up, seeing that it was another piece of paper. He unfolded it, sighing when he read the message that was scrawled inside.

* * *

The man walked up many flights of stairs until he reached the top floor of the building, slightly out of breath from what had happened at the arena, and he saw that the woman was waiting for him in front of the only door.

"You're back sooner than I expected," she muttered.

"Yeah, well, I was stopped," the man told her, lowering his hood and running his hand through his dark hair.

The woman sighed. "Was the message delivered anyway?" she asked.

Smirking, the man reached forward and pulled the woman close to him. "Of course it was, sweetheart," he answered, brushing her hair tenderly behind her ear. "It's my plan. I've got it covered."

"Just making sure." The woman smiled as she leaned forward and kissed him.

"Eww, guys, get a room."

Sighing as he broke the kiss with his girlfriend, the man looked up and watched as the other man he had called to help approached them. "Where were you? You're supposed to be watching the girl."

The second man rolled his eyes. "Geeze, give a guy a bathroom break," he mumbled, taking out a key as he unlocked the door. "Tomorrow I'll get you both copies of this..."

"Sounds good." The first man watched as the other opened the door, and the three of them entered the room to see that their near three-year-old captive was sitting on the floor and crying.

"She was doing this when I left too," the second man muttered as he collapsed into the only chair. "I had to get a break from it. This job is going to be a headache..."

"Of course, she's scared," the woman told him, kneeling down on the floor next to her. "It's okay, Leslie, we're not going to hurt you."

"It's Lexie," the first man said from where he was standing near the door.

The woman turned to look at her boyfriend. "What?" she asked.

"Her name. It's Lexie." The man slowly walked over to the girl, looking down at her. "I've watched them long enough to know that."

Lexie looked back up at him, and for a moment, her sobs stopped. She tilted her head as she looked into his face curiously, slowly reaching a hand out toward him. But she began to cry again when the man backed away.

"I want Daddy!"

"Oh, great," the second man sitting in the chair muttered, putting his head into his hands. "You _had_ to make her start again..."

The man stopped in front of the chair and looked down at him. "I hate children," he replied before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Jay sighed, watching as Phil once again stood and began to pace his hotel room. He was sitting on the bed with Jeff and Maria, hoping to be of some support as they waited to hear any word on Lexie instead of going to the super show. But they were all getting restless since they hadn't heard a word.

Then, Jay felt his cell phone start to ring, and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket. He saw his best friend's name flashing on the screen and answered the call. "Hey, Adam," he said. "Unfortunately, we haven't heard anything-!"

_"We have," _Adam interrupted.

"Really?" Jay's eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

_"Put me on speaker," _Adam told him.

Jay quickly did what his friend said and set the phone on the bed. "Okay, Adam, you're good. What did you hear?"

_"Phil, you there?" _Adam asked.

"Yeah," Phil answered, quickly walking over to the bed. "You heard something?"

Adam sighed. _"Yeah, when John was attacked by who we're assuming was one of the kidnappers," _he said. _"I don't know why else he attacked him. He didn't steal anything..."_

"Attacked?" Jeff repeated with concern. "Is he okay?"

There was a minute of silence on the other end before another voice came on the line. _"I'm fine, just a bit sore," _John told him. _"But whoever it was left a note."_

Phil sighed, hoping that this one gave them a little more information to go by. "What does it say?"

_"It says 'Nothing personal. I will contact you soon. No police.'"_

"That's it?" Phil asked quietly.

_"Yeah, that's it," _John answered. _"I'm sorry..."_

Phil took a deep breath as he backed away from the bed, running his hand through his dark hair. Maria stood up and walked over to her husband, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "It's okay," she whispered.

Jay exchanged concerned looks with Jeff looked back at the phone. "So, when are you coming back to the hotel?" he wondered.

There was another minute of silence. _"Soon." _Adam's voice came back on the line. _"As soon as Drew's done getting looked at by the medic, which should be any minute."_

"Is he okay?" Jeff sighed to himself, wondering what had happened at the arena since all of his friends were getting hurt. "Was he attacked too?"

_"No," _Adam replied, though there was some hesitance in his tone. _"Matt just got a bit carried away during the match. Drew will be fine."_

"Matt?" Jeff repeated. "That's not like him..."

_"I know." _But then, Adam paused. _"Here come Drew and Taryn. We'll be there soon."_

"Okay," Jay replied. "Bye, Adam."

_"Bye, Jay."_

Jay reached forward and ended the call, putting the phone back in his pocket. "Adam was right," he muttered, mainly to himself.

"How so?" Jeff asked, looking at him curiously.

"When you first told us about Lexie, he was saying how something felt off," Jay answered. "I thought at first that these guys were just inexperienced. But now that one of the kidnappers attacked John... I don't know. It's like she's not their main focus."

Jeff thought over Jay's words for a moment before slowly nodding. "That's true... This isn't a normal kidnapping." He looked over his shoulder at Phil and Maria. "But if it really is something else, then why go through all the trouble of taking Lexie?"

Jay shook his head. "I don't know," he muttered. "But I think if we find her, we find answers."

* * *

Matt slowly opened his eyes, seeing that he was sitting on his bed in his and Jeff's hotel room. He shook his head, running his hand through his dark curls. He was exhausted, assuming that it was due to his match at the super show, even though he never usually got that tired. What he needed was sleep.

Then, the door to the room opened, and Jeff entered. "Hey, Man, any news on Lexie?" the older Hardy asked, getting to his feet.

Jeff paused for a moment, almost seeming surprised to see his brother before shaking his head. "Nothing here," he answered quietly. "Adam and John heard something after John got attacked."

"Attacked?" Matt looked up at him with concern. "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine. He, Adam, Drew, and Taryn are on the way back now," Jeff told him. "But you didn't know about the attack? You were there..."

Matt shook his head. "No, I left right after my match," he replied. "Why would someone want to attack John?"

Jeff shrugged. "I don't know," he muttered. "They're assuming it was one of the kidnappers since he left another note for Phil and nothing was stolen."

"If that was the case... why attack him?" Matt wondered. He sighed when his brother shook his head. "At least he'll be okay."

"Glad about that," Jeff agreed as he sat down on the bed and ran his hand through his hair. "Drew's going to be fine too."

"Drew?" Matt repeated.

Jeff sighed. "Adam said you disregarded the script," he said hesitantly, looking up at him.

Matt shook his head. "Look, I was going with the match, and..." He then paused for a minute, looking down at the ground. "I just got carried away a bit," he finished in a bit of a calmer voice. "Sorry about that, Jeff."

The younger Hardy raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You don't have to apologize to me," he muttered. "But just watch-!" His sentence was abruptly cut off when Matt suddenly turned and began to walk toward the bathroom. "Matt!"

But Matt ignored him, and instead of responding, he shut the bathroom door behind him. Jeff cried out with frustration as he got to his feet and pounded on the wall. He didn't know what his brother's problem was, but he hoped he would get over it soon since they had to focus on finding Lexie. That was his first priority.

* * *

The woman sighed as she left the room, making sure the door was locked behind her. She hated leaving the girl behind when she was still so afraid, begging for her parents, but she had no choice. There were other things she needed to do.

Then, she stopped when her cell phone began to ring, and she quickly answered it. "Yeah?"

_"I have a special job for you, sweetheart,"_ her boyfriend told her. _"Someone has seen me. We need to take care of this."_

The woman sighed, biting her bottom lip. "What do you want me to do?"

* * *

Adam pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and found a spot before shutting the car off as John got into the lot behind him. Taryn immediately opened the passenger door and began to walk toward the building. Drew watched her for a moment with confusion before opening his own door and beginning to follow her. Adam sighed as he stepped out, watching the couple until John got out of his rental car and joined him.

"Long night," the Rated R Superstar muttered as they walked toward the hotel themselves. "You sure you're all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," John assured him, pressing the Kleenex Adam had given him against his head for the cut. "I just want to get some sleep."

"That would be a good idea," Adam agreed as they entered the lobby. But they slowed to a stop when they saw Drew and Taryn talking at the bottom of the stairs.

"Are you all right, Taryn?" the Scotsman was asking.

"Fine," Taryn answered with a small smile that said otherwise. "It's nothing." She glanced in Adam and John's direction before she sighed and hurried up the stairs. Drew watched her, looking down at the ground for a moment before going up as well.

"Wonder what that was about," Adam muttered.

"I don't know, but my bed is calling," John replied, beginning to walk up the stairs with Adam close behind.

Adam laughed a little, noticing the other man was walking with a slight limp. "I'm probably gonna' crash too," he said. "That sounds good."

John smiled when they got to his room first. "Definitely," he replied, unlocking his door. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay," Man." Adam started to walk down the hallway as John entered his room, sighing to himself. Though he would have loved to be able to sleep, his mind was racing much too fast to allow him to. It had been a long day, but he had too many thoughts on running through his mind to relax.

But when Adam rounded the corner to get to his room, planning on watching some television and talking with Jay, he gasped quietly as his eyes widened at the sight before him.

* * *

Phil sat in the chair in front of the wooden desk in his and Maria's dark hotel room, staring blankly down at the first note he had gotten after Lexie was taken. He didn't mind that whoever had kidnapped her didn't want any police involvement as the note John's attacker had left said. He would get his daughter back himself.

His exhausted eyes moved to Maria, who had fallen asleep on the bed. She had tried to stay up with him, but she just hadn't been able to. That was fine with him. He would let her sleep since she needed the rest.

Then, Phil gasped quietly when his cell phone began to ring. He quickly took it out of his pocket, seeing that the number was blocked. Having a feeling that the call was important, he immediately answered it. "Hello?" he said quietly, hoping that he wouldn't wake Maria.

_"Daddy?"_

Phil's eyes widened with horror. It was Lexie.

**Author's Note**: And... that's it for this one! More unanswered questions and another cliffhanger, lol. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, guys! Loving your theories on who is behind Lexie's kidnapping and the attacks! You'll just have to keep reading to see who it is ;) Keep it up! Thank you so much to **Renna33**, **ThePinkyPop**, **stephiex095**, **Vampirebaby13**, **jcott3**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **vampiregirl2009 Wolfgirl77769**, and **elliexhardy** (for both three and four!) for your reviews! Hope you enjoy this one too!

_Chapter 5_

_"Daddy?"_

"Lexie?" Phil said anxiously. "I'm here, Lex. Can you tell me where you are?"

_"I... I don't know," _Lexie replied quietly.

Phil sighed. "Look around you," he muttered, hoping to keep his daughter on the line with him. "What's there?"

_"Um..." _There was a long pause. _"Chair..."_

The Straightedge Superstar gripped the desk so hard he could see his knuckles turning white in the moon's rays. What she was telling him wasn't helpful in giving him any insight on her location. "Anything else, Lex?" he asked.

_"No... When you coming, Daddy?"_

Phil felt his heart break at the question. "Soon, Lex," he told her. "Soon. But I have to know where you are."

_"Okay... Guy wants to talk to you."_

"Who?" But Phil no longer heard his daughter's voice. "Lexie?"

_"Do you want her, Phil?"_

Phil felt his eyes narrow slightly when he heard the new voice. It sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place it. "Of course," he said. "Where is she?"

_"If you want her back, meet me outside the hotel in an hour, and we'll discuss it," _the man told him.

The Straightedge Superstar glanced at the glowing green clock beside the bed, seeing that it was just about one in the morning. "I'll be there," he told him with determination.

_"Good. See you in an hour." _Then, the line went dead.

* * *

Adam stared in shock at the sight before him. "Amy?"

The red-haired woman was lying unmoving on the floor in front of her hotel room, her arm in between the door and the frame to hold it open. Adam hurried forward and knelt down next to her to check her over, seeing that her eyes were closed but her breathing seemed to be regular.

"Amy," Adam muttered, shaking her a little. "Amy, you okay?" When he got no response, he sighed and carefully picked her up into his arms, pushing the door the rest of the way open and entering the room. He gently set her on the single bed before sitting down next to her and starting to look her over a bit more closely for any signs of injury.

Feeling her arm being lifted, Amy quietly groaned as her eyes fluttered open, and she slowly turned to look at who was sitting beside her. "... Adam?"

Adam looked up from her arm, gently setting it back down on the bed as he looked into her face. There appeared to be no signs of visible injuries. "Hey, Ames," he said, giving her a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I..." Amy looked around the room for a moment before gasping and quickly sitting up on the bed. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Adam wondered with concern.

Amy looked at Adam, fear clear in her eyes. "I... I'm not sure," she told him. "I came back to the hotel, and before I could head up to my room, someone came up behind me and dragged me upstairs. I think it was a woman... I couldn't really see since the person was wearing a hood over their face. I tried fighting back, but they had too strong of a hold. And... that's all I can remember..."

Adam sighed heavily. Amy had been attacked at the hotel. Clearly, they weren't safe anywhere. "Well, you're okay now," he replied quietly, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Just lie back down and get some rest. You'll feel better in the morning." Then, he lowered his hand and began to push himself to his feet.

"Wait." Amy reached forward and grabbed Adam's arm, stopping him from walking away from the bed. "Please don't leave yet."

"Amy, it's okay," Adam told her, sitting back on the bed as he gently pushed her hand away. "No one's going to attack you now. Whoever it was is gone..."

"I guess I'm still just a little uneasy," Amy admitted quietly, unable to meet his gaze. "Who would do something like that?"

Adam shrugged. "I don't know," he replied truthfully. "That's what we're trying to figure out. Someone attacked John earlier too... We think these people, whoever they are, are tied to Lexie's kidnapping."

"Is he okay?" Amy asked.

"Fine," Adam answered, noticing how quick her response had been. "He just needs to sleep, which is what you need to do too. I should get going. I'm a couple rooms down if you need anything."

Amy sighed, watching as Adam got to his feet and started to walk toward the door. "Adam?"

"Yeah?" Adam stopped and turned back to look at her, watching as Amy slowly got off the bed and stopped in front of him. He took a couple of steps back when she got closer until he felt his back against the wall.

"I miss you..." Amy whispered, leaning closer to kiss him.

Adam watched her come near him, glancing down at her hand when he noticed her reaching for something. He saw her fingers rest on the slightly open drawer on the desk next to him, something dark inside gleaming in the light. "Amy?"

"What?" Amy murmured, resting her hand on his chest as her lips stopped inches from hims.

Sighing, Adam placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him. "I've moved on," he told her quietly. "I suggest it's time you do the same." Then, he walked away from her and left the room without another word.

Amy watched him leave, biting her bottom lip when she noticed that the desk drawer was slightly open and closed it. Then, she sighed, walking over to the door and shutting it behind him.

* * *

The man cracked open the door of his hotel room, watching as Adam Copeland walked to his room and opened the door, scowling as he entered before closing his own door again.

xxx

Drew paused in the doorway as Taryn entered the room, sighing before following her inside. Taryn glanced over her shoulder at her husband as she sat on the bed, noticing his eyes on her intently.

"What?" she asked.

The Scotsman slowly sat down on the bed next to her. "Taryn... Is there something you're not telling me?" he wondered quietly.

Taryn looked back at him with surprise. "Honey, what gave you that idea?"

"Please just answer the question, Taryn," Drew muttered gently, not moving his gaze from hers.

Sighing, Taryn looked down. "I guess I'm just freaked out," she told him, unable to meet her husband's gaze. "I mean, Lexie was kidnapped, John was attacked, you were hurt in your match... What's next?"

"We find Lexie, that's what," Drew told her, taking her hand. "And I wasn't hurt too badly, Taryn."

"You could have been." Taryn slowly pulled her hand out of his. "And there's a good chance you could be with these people out there..."

Drew sighed. "I'm sorry, Taryn," her replied quietly. "But Phil needs us right now, and I'm going to help him find his daughter. He would do the same for us if we were in his position."

Taryn looked her husband in the eye for a long moment before she stood up and walked over to the window. Drew watched her before getting to his feet as well.

"I'm going down to the bar for a little bit," he said, sighing again when he saw his wife was in no mood to talk when she didn't turn to look at him. "I'll be back soon."

"Fine." Taryn continued to stare out at the dark street below as Drew left the room. When she heard the door close, she went back to the bed and sat down, sighing heavily as she held the pillow she used close to her as a form of comfort. She knew it was going to be a long night.

* * *

Jay looked up from the television screen where he was lying on his bed when he heard the door open, and he watched as Adam entered the room. He could immediately tell that the other man's mind was racing just by looking at his face. "Hey, are John and Drew okay?" he asked, sitting up and using the remote to turn the volume down on the late night movie.

Adam didn't reply right away as he sat down on his own bed, staring at the television screen blankly. "Yeah, they're both fine," he finally answered quietly. "Amy too."

"Amy?" Jay repeated, turning to face his best friend. "What happened to her?"

"I'm not really sure, and neither is she," Adam told him thoughtfully. "From what I could gather, she was also attacked. She thinks it was by some woman, so the man that attacked John isn't alone. She's really uneasy, of course... Tried kissing me."

Jay raised an eyebrow. "She tried?" he muttered. "You didn't let her, I take it."

"No." Adam shook his head. "I told her I've move on and it's time she does the same."

"Be careful around her, Adam," Jay advised quietly. "You're playing with fire."

Adam met his best friend's gaze. "I made it clear that I'm no longer interested in her," he replied. "Can't say the same about her, but I in no way have any romantic feelings toward her."

Jay sighed. "I know that, but as long as she does," he said. "But I'm glad she's going to be okay."

"Me too." Adam turned back to the television screen, watching the high speed car chase that was happening in the movie for a moment. "Who can we trust, Jay? We're not safe anywhere..."

"Right now, I don't know." Jay lay back down on his pillow, turning off the lamp between the two beds but keeping the television on so they could keep watching the movie. "I don't know."

* * *

He was kneeling on the ground next to Jay Reso in the dark lobby, his hands clamped tightly around his neck as he angrily tried to strangle the life out of him. He saw the fear in his eyes, his hands reaching up to try to push him away so he could breathe...

_What am I doing? _Matt thought to himself as he looked down at the man he considered to be one of his closest friends, his hands not relenting their iron grip on his neck. _Stop... Stop!_

But the older Hardy stared down at Jay in horror as he continued to struggle to breathe, hardly feeling his hands on his shoulders as he failed at pushing him away.

_Jay..._

Then, Jay's struggling slowly stopped, his arms falling limply back to the ground as he stopped moving. Smirking as he looked into his blank, unseeing eyes, Matt removed his hands from his neck.

_Jay... Come on, Jay, breathe... _he silently pleaded as he got to his feet next to the other man's lifeless body. _Jay, please... Just breathe..._

But it was no use. Because of him, Jay was dead.

* * *

Matt gasped loudly as he sat up on the bed, quickly looking around him before sighing with relief when he saw that he was in the hotel room he was sharing with his brother. Jeff was still asleep on the bed next to his, undisturbed by his abrupt awakening. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Matt ran both his hands through his dark curls, shaken from the terrible nightmare...

Then, Matt glanced over at his cell phone sitting on the small table between their beds, almost tempted to call Jay. But he knew that would be unnecessary since it was only a dream and he was just fine, and instead, he climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. He turned on the sink, watching the water run for a long moment before splashing some on his face. He then turned it back off and quickly dried his face with a towel, looking at his pale, exhausted reflection in the mirror. He stared into his own dark eyes before sighing, realizing a drink from the bar sounded good to him.

Matt turned out the light in the bathroom before entering the main part of the room again. He looked at the still sleeping Jeff for a moment, debating about whether or not to wake him to tell him he was leaving. He then decided not to since he wouldn't be gone long, and the older Hardy grabbed his wallet from his bag before quietly leaving the room.

* * *

Drew set his drink down on the table, having not drank much of it since he had gotten it. He glanced around at all of the loud, drunk guys sitting around him, sighing as he put his hand to his head and closed his eyes. He just wished he knew what was going on with Taryn...

Then, he opened his eyes and looked up when he heard the sound of a chair moving, and Drew watched as Matt sat across the table from him. "Mind if I sit here?" the older Hardy wondered.

"Go ahead," Drew replied with a slight smile.

Matt returned it as he took a drink. "Look, about the match earlier-!"

"It's fine," Drew interrupted as politely as he could. The match at the super show was the last thing on his mind. "Just be careful not to do it again." He took a sip of his own drink when the other man didn't reply. "So, why are you down here so late?"

Sighing, Matt set his drink back down on the table. "Can't sleep," he told him, deciding to keep the nightmare to himself. "How about you?"

"I wish it was that easy," Drew muttered, taking another sip of his beer. "There's something up with Taryn."

"Like what?" Matt looked at him curiously.

Drew sighed. "I don't know," he replied. "It just feels like she's keeping something from me..."

Matt ran his hand through his dark hair, but he rolled his eyes in irritation as the group of drunk men erupted into roaring laughter behind him. "I can barely hear myself think," he told the other man. "What do you say we step outside and finish discussing this?"

"Sounds good to me," Drew agreed. Both men put tip money on the table under their half-empty glasses before leaving the bar and crossing the lobby, stepping out into the mild night.

* * *

Phil paced outside of the hotel, glancing down at his cell phone to check the time. It had been an hour, and he hadn't heard another word from the man that had taken his daughter. His anxiety started to rise with every step, having no idea what he was even supposed to be looking for.

Then, he heard the front door of the hotel open, and Phil ducked into the shadows as he watched Matt and Drew step outside. He quickly and quietly walked around the corner of the building, hoping that they hadn't seen him as he continued to wait for any word from the man who had called earlier.

As he sighed and leaned back against the brick wall, Phil's hazel eyes narrowed when he noticed a black car parked across the street. But then, he gasped quietly when a hand landed on his shoulder from the shadows, and he quickly turned to find himself face to face with a man wearing a hood over his face. In his hand was a pocketknife.

**Author's Note**: And... cliffhanger. Lol! A lot of tension going on here. Hope you guys liked it! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, guys! Just a fun note. **Elliexhardy **and I have named today, July 24, Miz Day (or mikethemiz Day if you follow him on Twitter). So, in honor of that, Miz will be making a cameo in this chapter. Anyway, I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter! And get used to cliffhangers- there will only be more as we get further into this story, lol! It will be a little bit longer than the previous two. Much thanks to **Vampirebaby13**, **ThePinkyPop**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **vampiregirl2009 Wolfgirl77769**, **Renna33**, **stephiexo95**, and **myers1978** for your reviews! I really appreciate them! So, shall we continue?

_Chapter 6_

The woman sighed as she looked around at the room they were keeping their young hostage in, watching her since both men were out doing other parts of the plan. She shifted positions where she was sitting on the floor since she had let the girl have the chair, her back sore from staying in one spot for so long. She hoped her friend would get back soon since she knew her boyfriend wouldn't, and she wanted _some_ sleep...

"Guy go see Daddy?"

Surprised by the sudden quiet voice, the woman looked over at the chair, seeing a tired pair of hazel eyes looking back at her. "I thought you were sleeping," she muttered.

Lexie rubbed her eyes. "Can't sleep," she replied. "He go see Daddy?"

"Yes," the woman told her, remembering that the other man was going to meet with Phil to talk about the kidnapping.

"I leave then?" Lexie wondered.

The woman sighed. "Maybe, sweetie." For the girl's sake, she hoped her friend's plan went well.

"Oh." Lexie's face fell. "You sit with me?"

The woman looked back at her for a long moment, thinking about what to do. Her request was so simple, but she also didn't want to get attached. But she looked so scared... "Sure," she finally said, slowly getting to her feet. "For a little bit."

Lexie watched as the woman walked over to the chair and picked her up before sitting down. The girl found a comfortable position on her lap, resting her head on her chest while the woman wrapped an arm around her for support. "Guy come back?" she wondered.

"Later," the woman replied with a quiet sigh. "For now, it's just us."

"Good. Don't like those guys," Lexie muttered.

The woman laughed a little. "I know, but they won't hurt you."

"Still don't like them." Lexie snuggled closer to the woman. "You stay?"

"For a bit," the woman muttered, looking down at the girl. "Just relax now, okay?"

"Okay."

The woman took a deep breath, looking around at the dark room. She knew that it wasn't going to be pleasant for their captive to stay there, but hopefully, she wouldn't have to for long.

Then, she looked down on Lexie when she heard her breathing slow, and a small smile appeared on her face when she saw that she had fallen asleep.

* * *

Phil stared at the man with the hood over his face with horror, eyeing the pocketknife nervously. He took a couple of steps back from him, putting his hands up in a defensive manner. "I don't have any money..."

"I don't want your money," the man interrupted in a quiet voice.

Stopping, Phil looked at the other man with confusion. His voice sounded familiar. "You have my daughter." It wasn't a question.

The man didn't respond. Phil looked at him for a long moment, his anxiety rising. "Yes," he finally replied quietly.

"What do you want for her?" Phil asked frantically. "I-I'll give you anything. Money-!"

"Not good enough," the man interrupted.

Phil paused, his anxiety starting to melt away to anger. "What do you mean not good enough?" he demanded, taking a couple steps closer to the hooded man. "What do you want from me?"

The man didn't say anything, and Phil growled angrily as he grabbed his shoulders. "Give me my daughter!"

Then, Phil hissed with surprise when the blade of the pocketknife sliced his cheek, and he released the man and took a couple steps back. He raised his sleeve and wiped at the cut, staring at the man angrily.

"Careful, Phil," the man advised, his tone almost taunting. "You don't want the same to happen to your pretty little girl, do you?"

That threat was enough for Phil. He lunged for the man again, punching him forcefully across the jaw. The man stumbled backward, the knife dropping from his hand, as Phil continued his assault. He landed on his back on the ground, and the Straightedge Superstar knelt next to him, landing a couple more punches. He then reached for his hood to see the identity of the kidnapper, but the man had a firm grasp on his wrists to stop him from doing so.

Then, Phil cried out in pain when the other man kneed him in the stomach forcefully, pushing him into the other wall of the hotel. He lay on the ground, gasping for breath, while the kidnapper got to his feet and picked up his pocketknife before running away from him.

But he didn't get far before he ran into Matt and Drew, who had heard the commotion and had came to see what was happening. The Scotsman cried out with pain when the man's knife cut deep into his upper arm, and he leaned against the wall to look over the injury.

Matt, however, grabbed the hooded man's shoulders to stop him from escaping. He wrapped an arm in front of his throat and pulled him back, not releasing him from the hold as he struggled to escape. Then, the man elbowed him forcefully in the stomach, doing it a couple more times until the older Hardy finally let go. He then ran across the street to where a dark car was parked, speeding off into the night.

* * *

The next morning came early, and Adam yawned as he left his and Jay's hotel room. Neither one of them had gotten much sleep since they were concerned about the attacks and Lexie's kidnapping, trying to figure out the connection between the two but not coming up with much of anything.

Adam stretched out his neck as he walked down the stairs toward the lobby, planning on getting something from the cafe to help wake him up. He stopped in surprise when he nearly bumped into Amy at the bottom, holding two cups of coffee in her hands, as she started to go up the stairs.

"Sorry about that," Adam said with a slight smile, glad that he didn't make her drop the hot beverages. He noticed that she looked exhausted.

"Oh, that's okay," Amy replied, laughing a little. "I was actually hoping I'd run into you. Not like that, exactly, but whatever. Here. For helping me last night." She held out the coffee cup she was holding in her left hand.

Adam looked down at the drink with surprise for a minute before taking it from her proffered hand. "Thanks, Ames," he told her. "You didn't have to do that."

Amy shrugged. "I know, but I wanted to do something."

"Well, I was just going to get one of these, so thanks for saving me the trip," Adam muttered, taking a small sip of the coffee. He blinked a couple times as he held the cup out in front of him. "You got the flavor right, but it's a tad strong."

"You know these places," Amy said. "But good, I'm glad I remembered what kind you liked."

Adam nodded. "Well, thanks again, Ames," he replied, giving her a quick one armed hug. "That's really all I came down here for. So, I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay." Amy watched Adam walk back up the stairs, taking another sip of his coffee, before she sighed and looked away.

* * *

Drew snuck out of bed and quietly entered the bathroom, turning on the light and shutting the door. He sighed, looking at his upper arm in the mirror as he unwrapped it to reveal the deep cut there. He had washed it out and tended to it as best as he could, finally getting the bleeding to stop, as well as tried to rinse out his shirt to get most of the blood out before packing it in his bag. Taryn had been sleeping when he had gotten back to the hotel room, which he had been grateful for since he didn't want to worry her.

He began to rewrap it with fresh material after he washed the cut again, wincing slightly when it still stung. But he also figured he had been lucky it wasn't worse. Their brief encounter with one of the kidnappers hadn't gone the way Phil wanted since they were no closer to finding Lexie.

Once the injury was once again wrapped securely, Drew turned off the light and left the bathroom. But he stopped with surprise when he saw his wife standing next to the bed, holding something dark in her hand. Looking closer, he saw it was his shirt from the night before. "Taryn..."

"What happened, Drew?" Taryn asked quietly, expression eerily calm.

Drew sighed. "Look, Taryn, it's not that bad," he answered, walking closer to her. "I'm okay. I-!"

"Then what happened?" Taryn repeated, holding up the shirt.

"Matt met me down at the bar last night," Drew explained. "We went outside to talk more and heard a commotion, so we went to check it out. A man in a hood, who Phil told us was one of the men who took Lexie, came running past us. He had a pocketknife..." His sentence trailed off when Taryn sighed and looked away. "What?"

"Oh, nothing, Drew," Taryn said, tossing his shirt onto the bed before turning and walking over to the window.

Drew slowly walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Taryn, please. Talk to me," he muttered. "What's wrong?"

Taryn didn't reply for a long moment, but then she slowly turned to look at him, a thin line of tears in her eyes. "One of the kidnappers hurt you," she stated.

"Not badly, Taryn," Drew tried to assure her. "I-!"

"But what if it was? It easily could have been!" Taryn snapped, interrupting him. "I can't even imagine what it's like for them to have their daughter missing, and I feel terrible, I really do. But you're out there risking your life for someone else's child, when you have one of your own on the way!"

Drew stared at his wife in shock. "One of my... Taryn, why didn't you tell me?"

Taryn looked back at him as a couple of tears fell from her eyes. "I was waiting until the right time," she told him quietly.

"You still could have said something, Taryn!" Drew felt his frustration starting to rise. "Don't you think _our_ child is something I should know about?"

"I'm sorry, but I just found out not too long ago myself," Taryn replied, her own anger starting to show through. "But with you going out there, I haven't had much time to tell you that you're going to be a father."

Sighing, Drew looked down for a moment before meeting Taryn's intense gaze again. "Phil needs-!"

"Well, he's not the only one who needs you. I do too," Taryn told him, ignoring the tears now falling freely from her eyes. "But go ahead. Risk your life for Lexie and risk not knowing your own child." Without another word, Taryn pushed past Drew and left the hotel room, slamming the door behind her.

Drew watched her leave before crying out with frustration, picking up the shirt Taryn had found and throwing it at the wall before sitting on the bed. He ran his hand through his long brown hair, taking a deep, shuddering breathing. He was going to be a father... How could he have known if Taryn hadn't told him? But he was going to wait until they both had time to calm down. Then, he would talk to her.

* * *

"You sure you're okay, John?" Jay wondered as they walked down to the lobby together to get a late breakfast.

"I'll be fine," John answered, still favoring his left foot a bit. "The headache finally went away."

Jay smiled as they entered the cafe, nodding to Mike Mizanin as he left. "Well, that's good." Then, he gestured to a table toward the back, noticing that Jeff was sitting there alone. "Why don't we join him?"

"Sounds good to me."

The two men picked up their orders, Jay getting apple pie and coffee while John got cherry coffee cake to go with his cappuccino, and went to the younger Hardy's table. Jeff looked up at them when they approached, smiling when they sat in chairs across from him. "Hey, guys," he said. "Feeling better after getting some sleep, John?"

"Yeah, a bit," John replied. "Still a bit sore, but if that's it, I'm not complaining. How did you sleep? You look tired."

"I slept okay," Jeff told him with a shrug, taking a sip of his coffee. "Not peacefully, but through the night at least. How about you guys?"

"Didn't wake up once," John muttered, taking a bite of his coffee cake.

"Adam and I didn't get much," Jay said when the younger Hardy looked at him. "We were talking about these attacks. Apparently Amy got attacked last night too."

"Is she okay?" Jeff asked with concern.

Jay nodded, but before he could say anything more, he quickly pulled out his cell phone when he felt it vibrate. He saw it was a text from Taryn.

_Can we talk later?_

Finding the message a little strange, Jay quickly sent one back. _Sure. Want to meet for lunch?_

It didn't take long to get a response. _Sounds good to me. Can we meet outside the hotel somewhere?_

_Jay's eyes narrowed slightly, starting to get a bit concerned. __Just name the place._

___Denny's okay? It's close by._

_Sighing, Jay sent his answer. __Fine with me. A couple hours okay?_

_Taryn's answer took a little longer. __It's fine. I'll see u then._

_Acting on instinct, Jay sent one more text. __Everything okay?_

_This time, her answer came quicker. __I'll tell u about it later Jay._

___Okay see u later._ Jay put his phone back in his pocket, definitely concerned about his friend now.

"Everything okay?" Jeff asked, reading his expression.

"Yeah, that was Taryn," Jay answered, giving him a small but forced smile. "I'm meeting her for lunch in a couple hours."

"That'll be nice," John said.

Jay nodded, though he knew it wasn't going to be a friendly meeting. Something was wrong.

* * *

A couple hours later, Jay pulled up in front of the Denny's near the hotel. He shut the car off and locked it before walking inside, seeing that Taryn was sitting on a bench near the entrance waiting for him.

"Thanks for coming, Jay," she muttered, standing up and hugging him.

"Sure, of course, Taryn," Jay said, hugging her back. He was concerned to see how shaken she looked. "Should we get a table and then we can talk?"

Taryn sighed when she pulled away from him, brushing a few strands of her blonde hair out of her face. "Actually, I was hoping we could take a walk instead," she told him. "It's something I think should be for your ears only."

Jay glanced around at the restaurant, seeing that it was crowded. "All right," he agreed, opening the door and holding it open for her. "We can do that."

"Thank you." Taryn almost looked relieved as she left the restaurant, Jay following after her.

They walked away from the parking lot and down the sidewalk for a little while in silence before Jay cleared his throat. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" he wondered.

Taryn took a deep breath, looking down as she walked. "Drew and I... had a fight this morning," she explained quietly. "It was the stupidest thing... I'm just worried about him. He's out risking his life like everyone is because of these attacks, trying to find Lexie... He was hurt last night when Phil met with one of the kidnappers."

"He met with one of the kidnappers?" Jay asked, surprised Phil hadn't told anyone about that.

"Yeah, but it didn't go very well," Taryn told him. "I guess he threatened Lexie and Phil got mad... They got no closer to find her. But I'm scared, Jay..."

Jay sighed, both out of understanding why she wanted to talk and frustration since Lexie was still in danger. "Scared for Drew?"

Taryn sighed too as she stopped walking, a thin line of tears forming in her eyes. "That's not entirely it," she muttered.

"Then what?" Jay stopped next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Taryn, what's wrong?"

"I..." Taryn took a deep breath, slowly looking up at Jay and grabbing his hand as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm pregnant... And if something happens to Drew..."

Jay looked at her sadly before pulling Taryn close to him as she began to cry a bit more freely, sighing as he rubbed her back. "It's okay. Drew's going to be fine," he tried to assure her, feeling Taryn cling to him tightly. "Don't worry. We're going to find Lexie soon, and this will all be over. Drew will be just fine."

"I hope so... Jay... I don't know what I'd do..."

"He will," Jay repeated, holding her closer. "You won't be alone, Taryn."

After a couple more minutes, Taryn straightened out of her her friend's arms and gave him a small smile and wiped her tears away. "Thanks, Jay," she muttered, laughing a little. "I just needed to talk to someone I trust..."

"Anytime, Taryn," Jay replied with a smile of his own. "If you ever need anything, you can come talk to me. Okay?"

Taryn nodded, giving him another quick hug. "I will." Then, she looked above her when a few gray clouds covered the sun, casting them in shadow. "Looks like it's going to rain. I should probably head back. I need to talk to Drew."

Jay nodded, and they walked in the opposite direction back toward the restaurant. They crossed the parking lot to Taryn's rental car, Jay sighing. "You going to be okay, Taryn?" he wondered as she unlocked it.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Taryn told him with a smile as she opened the driver's door. "Drew should be calm enough by now..." Then, she turned and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks again for this, Jay."

"You're welcome," Jay said, watching as she got in behind the wheel. "Drive carefully."

Taryn nodded to him as she shut the door behind her. Jay then walked over to his car and got in, watching as Taryn left the parking lot but went in the opposite direction of the hotel. Sighing, he started his car and backed out of the spot, hoping that his friend was all right as he left the lot the other way.

* * *

"Thanks for joining me for lunch, Man," Matt said as he and Adam left the cafe and crossed the lobby.

"Well, thank you for the invite," Adam replied, smiling at the older Hardy as they started to walk up the stairs. "It was fun."

"Yeah, it was," Matt agreed. Then, he sighed. "I just wish I could have gotten a look at that man's face last night..."

Adam glanced at his friend. "Hey, don't blame yourself, Matt," he muttered. "It happened fast and it was dark."

Matt nodded in reluctant agreement. "The only thing I regret is that we're no closer to finding Lexie."

"We'll find her soon." Adam and Matt stopped at the top of the stairs since the older Hardy was on that floor while the Rated R Superstar was on the next. "I'm sure we'll hear from them again."

"Me too." Then Matt smiled slightly. "I'll see you later, Man."

"Okay." Adam started to walk up the stairs to the next floor, but stopped when a sudden wave of nausea swarmed over him, and he gripped the hand rail tightly.

Matt looked up at him with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked, starting to walk back to him.

Adam took a few deep breaths, hoping the feeling would go away to no avail. "Yeah," he answered quietly, gripping the hand rail even tighter when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. "Fine..."

Noticing that the other man may not have been as fine as he claimed, Matt took a couple steps closer. "You sure?"

But then, Matt backed away when Adam was suddenly violently sick. "Adam!" Once he was through, the older Hardy grabbed his arm and pulled him back down the stairs, not able to support him as he weakly collapsed to his knees on the floor. "Adam!"

His breathing heavy, Adam leaned back against the wall, his face pale as he wrapped his arms tightly around his stomach. "I'm... okay..." he muttered.

"No, you're not," Matt replied, putting his hands on his tensed shoulders. "We need to get you to the emergency room."

But Adam shook his head as he opened his eyes and looked up at the older Hardy. "No," he told him hoarsely. "No... It's just... something I ate. I'll be fine..."

Matt raised an eyebrow as he noticed the thin sheet of sweat on Adam's face, his arms not moving from his abdomen. "I don't know, Man..."

"Adam!"

The older Hardy looked up, watching as Jay knelt down next to him. He must have just returned from his lunch with Taryn. "Adam, what's wrong?" he asked anxiously, placing his hand on his arm.

"He claims it's something he ate," Matt told him. "I don't know. He was fine, and all of a sudden, he was sick and just collapsed... He's refusing a doctor."

Jay sighed as he glanced at the staircase before looking back at his best friend, seeing how tightly his arms were wrapped around his stomach. "I think medical attention would be our best option here, Adam," he said.

"I'll be _fine_, Jay," Adam snapped quietly, wearily looking up at the two men. "Let's just get back to the room."

Even though it was against his better judgement, Jay sighed as he took one of Adam's arms and put it around his neck, slowly helping him to his feet. Adam hissed with pain as his face grew even paler, not able to straighten up completely as he grabbed at his stomach. But there was no arguing with him, and the least he could do was get him to his bed.

"Thanks for-!" Jay began as he turned to look at Matt, but he stopped when he saw he was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

A light rain had begun by the time Taryn pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. She turned the radio down so it wouldn't be blaring next time they got in before shutting the car off. She sighed and leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes. It had been a relief to be able to talk to Jay and get everything off her chest as well as drive around for a bit to clear her mind. She was ready to face Drew.

Taryn took a deep breath as she stepped out of the car and locked it up. She put the keys in her purse, quickly looking up when she thought she heard a footstep. But she was alone in the darkening parking lot.

Suddenly, she gasped when a hand landed on her shoulder from behind, and she quickly spun around. Taryn's eyes widened with fear when she saw a man wearing a hood standing in front of her, unable to scream when a hand was placed firmly over her mouth. She tried to struggle out of her attacker's hold when he grabbed her arm, pulling her along roughly behind him toward the back of the parking lot where a black car was waiting. He opened the back door and shoved her inside, slamming the door behind her before climbing in behind the wheel. Taryn quickly reached for the door handle, but she was too late as the man locked the doors before starting the car and speeding away from the hotel.

**Author's Note**: So things are getting worse... What'll happen? You'll have to find out! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, guys! Thank you to **jcott3**, **Renna33**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **myers1978**, **Vampirebaby13**, **vampiregirl2009 Wolfgirl77769**, **ThePinkyPop**, and **stephiexo95 **for your reviews! Glad to see you're all expecting twists and cliffhangers, lol. There will be more. But, since I left off in such an evil spot... Let's continue!

_Chapter 7_

Jay pushed open the door of his and Adam's hotel room, leading his best friend over to his bed. Adam collapsed onto it, his breathing quick as he curled up a little on his side and grabbed his stomach. Jay sighed with concern, placing his hand on his tensed shoulder.

"Still feeling nauseous?" he wondered. Adam nodded, which was the only answer he got. "I'm going to get you some water, okay? I'll be back in a couple minutes."

"Sure, Jay..."

Looking at the man he considered to be his brother for a moment longer, Jay turned and walked away from the bed, leaving the room. He hurried down the stairs, pulling some of the money he had originally planned to use for lunch out of his pocket as he approached the vending machine in the lobby.

"Hey, Jay."

Jay quickly looked up, seeing that Drew was crossing the lobby toward him. "Hey, what's up?" he asked, putting the money in the machine.

Drew sighed when he stopped next to him. "Have you seen Taryn?" he wondered. "She left late this morning, and I haven't seen her since."

Sighing, Jay bent over and picked up the bottle of water. "I saw her this afternoon. We met at Denny's to talk for a little bit," he told him truthfully. "She should be back soon."

"Okay." Drew stared down Jay, a hint of what almost appeared to be suspicion in his eyes. Jay's gaze didn't falter as he looked back at the Scotsman. "She should be back soon, you say?"

Jay nodded, unfazed. "Should be," he confirmed.

Drew looked down for a moment, taking a deep breath. "All right," he muttered. "If you see her again, let her know that I want to talk to her. To apologize."

"I will," Jay replied.

"Thanks." A hint of a smile appeared on Drew's face before he nodded at the bottle in the other man's hand, noticing he hadn't opened it. "What's the water for?"

Jay glanced down at it as well, relaxing a little since Drew's gaze was no longer interrogative. "It's for Adam," he explained. "He's feeling nauseous and having stomach pains. Claims it's something he ate."

Drew's eyes narrowed with concern. "Don't you think he should see a doctor?" he wondered.

"Matt and I both suggested it, but he refuses," Jay told him with a slight laugh.

"Sounds like Adam," Drew muttered with a small smile. "Well, I hope he feels better."

"Me too," Jay agreed. "I'm going to go bring this up to him..."

Drew nodded, though his mind seemed to be elsewhere. "Okay. Well, thanks again, Jay."

"Sure." Jay gave him a small smile. "See you later."

"Bye."

Jay then walked past him and hurried up the stairs, anxious to get back to their room. When he pushed open the door, he was surprised to see that his best friend wasn't in the bed where he had left him. "Adam?"

The door to the bathroom opened a minute later, and Adam slowly walked out. His face was still pale, but his eyes looked a little brighter. "Hey," he muttered, crossing the room and laying back down on his bed.

"Feeling any better?" Jay wondered, walking back over to him.

"A little,' Adam replied, propping himself up on his arm and taking the bottle from the other man when he offered it to him. "Not good yet, but the pain's gone down a bit."

Jay sighed. "That's good, but if it gets any worse, I'm taking you to the hospital." Adam rolled his eyes, opening the water and taking a small sip. "So, do you have any idea what you could have eaten that would make you have this reaction?"

Adam shook his head, taking another small sip of water before putting the cap back on and setting the bottle on the small table next to his nearly empty coffee cup. "Matt and I both had sandwiches from the cafe, and as far as I know, he hasn't had this reaction," he told him. "But maybe there was something in it that just didn't agree with me. I didn't eat anything else all day, so..."

"Right, that's all it could have been," Jay muttered.

"Exactly." Then, Adam sighed. "Well, I'm going to try to get a little sleep, if I can. See if that helps any..."

"Good idea," Jay said as he sat down on his own bed. "Mind if I turn TV on? I'll keep it quiet."

"That's fine, Jay," Adam replied, putting his pillow in a comfortable position before lying down facing his best friend.

Jay smiled a little as he used the remote to turn on the television, making sure the volume was on low so it wouldn't disturb Adam. Once he was sure the other man was at least in a light sleep, he pulled out his cell phone and went through his contacts until he reached Taryn, wanting to check on her.

But his finger hesitated over the call button, and Jay sighed as he set his phone down on the bed next to him.

xxx

The woman unlocked the door and entered the room. She saw that her friend was sitting on the only chair, rubbing his jaw, while Lexie sat silent on the floor. When she heard the door open, she quickly looked up but still didn't say a word.

"What exactly happened to you?" she wondered, shutting the door behind her.

"Phil got mad last night," the man said simply, irritation in his tone. "And I don't know where you're boyfriend went... He just took off earlier." Then, he looked at the plastic bag in her hand curiously. "What'd you get?"

"Nothing for you," the woman muttered as she began to walk toward Lexie. She ignored his mimicking tone as she knelt down next to the girl, a smile on her face. "Hey, Lexie."

Lexie looked up into the woman's face before moving her gaze to the bag. "For me?" she asked.

"Yeah." The woman reached into it and pulled out a stuffed tiger and a stuffed wolf before handing them both to Lexie. "I thought you might like a little something."

The near three-year-old took both of the stuffed animals and looked them over, holding them close to her. "Soft," she said.

"You like them?" The woman felt another small smile appear on her face at seeing the happiness on the girl's face.

"I do!" Lexie told her, setting them down before wrapping her small arms around the woman's neck in a quick hug. "Thanks."

The woman ran her hand through Lexie's black hair as she pulled away. "You're welcome, sweetie."

"Careful," the man with her muttered, pushing himself out of the chair. "You don't want to get attached."

Sighing, the woman got to her feet and walked over to him. "I'm not," she replied. The man nodded over to Lexie, and she watched as the young girl happily hugged her new stuffed animals she had gotten for her. "Look, I just want to make sure that as long as she stays here, it'll be somewhat decent. We can't treat her like an animal."

The man slowly shook his head. "I was hesitant when he told me he was recruiting you for this very reason," he told her. "You're letting your feelings get in the way."

"At least I'm not the one who screwed up the damn meeting with her father last night," the woman hissed, her anger rising. "Before you start criticizing me, you had better fix that." Then, she turned and left the room without another word.

xxx

Jeff sighed as he left his hotel room, running his hand through his hair as he headed toward the stairs. After leaving the cafe earlier that morning with Jay and John, he and John had gotten in a quick work out in the hotel weight room while Jay left to meet Taryn. He then spent the rest of the day relaxing in his and Matt's room, watching television with him until his brother went to have lunch with Adam. Since he hadn't come back yet, he figured that he could have a quick something too.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the lobby, Jeff paused when he saw that Amy was there, throwing something away. Remembering what Jay had told them earlier, he quickly walked over to her. "Hey, Amy," he said when he approached.

Amy turned around, and a smile appeared on her face when she saw the younger Hardy. "Hey, good to see you, Jeff," she replied, giving him a quick but tight hug. "It's been a while. How are you?"

Jeff smiled at her when they parted. "I'm good," he told her. "How are you feeling? I heard about the attack last night..."

"Oh." Amy brushed some of her red hair behind her ear before rubbing her right forearm. "I'm all right. Or, I will be. No real damage done."

"That's good to hear," Jeff muttered. "Hey, would you like to join me for a late lunch? Or, early dinner?"

Amy sighed as a half smile appeared on her face. "I would, but I have a couple of errands to run," she said. "How about another time?"

"Sure, sounds good, Amy."

"Great." Amy gave him another quick hug. "I'll see you around, Jeff."

"Yep." Jeff watched as Amy crossed the lobby, pushing the door open and stepping out into the light rain that had started. Sighing quietly to himself, the younger Hardy walked away from the garbage can and entered the cafe. Seeing that Adam and Matt had already left, he ordered a sandwich and went back up to his room.

xxx

Phil sighed as he stared out the window, watching the activity of the city below. Maria came up next to him, sighing heavily as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"It's almost been forty-eight hours since she was taken," she muttered as her husband wrapped an arm around her. "You know what they say about the likelihood of finding someone after that..."

"That's not going to be the case this time, Ria," Phil tried to assure her, lifting her head so she was looking at them. "I don't care how long it takes me. I will do everything I have to do to get Lexie back."

Maria wrapped an arm around him, lightly running her finger over the scar left behind on his cheek by one of the kidnappers' pocketknife. "You didn't found out anything at all last night?" she wondered, a little hope entering her tone.

Phil caught her hand as she started to lower it, kissing her fingers quickly. "I found out it's not about money," he told her. "But nothing else yet..."

"If it's not about money," Maria said, laying her head on his chest as she closed her eyes, "then what could it be?"

Sighing, Phil wrapped his arms securely around his wife and pulled her closer. "I don't know, Ria," he replied, kissing her head. "But I promise you I'm going to find out."

xxx

Taryn sat in the backseat as the man who had taken her sped down the street. "Where... where are you taking me?" she asked, her voice shaking as tears rolled down her cheeks. "What do you want?"

The man didn't answer, not even acknowledging her as he kept his eyes set on the road ahead. Sighing, Taryn leaned forward a little, her fingers grasping the hood on his leather jacket. "Hey, answer me!"

Then, she gasped when the man's hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, whimpering in pain when he squeezed it tightly until she let go of his hood. But he still didn't say a word.

Taryn held her hand close to her chest as she backed against the seat, her tears falling a bit more freely as she stared out the window at the passing cars. She was terrified- she had no idea who the man was or why he had taken her, not wanting to know what he had in mind for her. She took a deep, shuddering breath, placing her hand on her stomach protectively.

The car then began to slow, and Taryn straightened up a bit to see where they were stopping. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw the man was pulling into the empty parking lot of the arena.

xxx

Drew started to anxiously pace the hotel room he was sharing with Taryn, glancing at the glowing green numbers of the clock sitting on the small table. It was almost five...

He sighed, taking out his cell phone and calling his wife again. He waited impatiently as it rang, hoping she would answer this time. But once again, her voicemail picked up, and he decided to leave a message.

"Hey, Taryn, it's Drew," the Scotsman said, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he felt. "I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to lose my temper. Please call me back as soon as you get this. I want to apologize properly and talk this over. I love you."

Drew ended the call and tossed his phone on his bed, running his hand through his hair. He was starting to get very worried about Taryn since it had been nearly an hour since he talked to Jay, and he hadn't seen or heard from her. A bad feeling was starting to form in the pit of his stomach, and it was one he couldn't ignore.

Then, he gasped quietly when his phone began to vibrate and quickly picked it up, seeing he had gotten a text message. It was from Taryn.

_Im at the arena if u want to talk._

_His eyes narrowed slightly, wondering why his wife would go to the arena when it wasn't open at that time. But regardless of how strange it was, Drew sent q quick answer back._

___Be right there._

Drew put his phone in his pocket before throwing on a light sweatshirt, going into his bag and digging out the spare key to the rental car. He turned out the light and left the room, hurrying down to the lobby. He saw John sitting in a chair near the window, writing something in a notebook, but rushed past him out into the light rain to their rental car. Quickly putting on his seatbelt, the Scotsman sped away from the hotel.

When he pulled into the parking lot of the arena, Drew immediately found a parking spot, seeing there was only one other car there. He climbed out and ran over to the door, testing the handle. He wasn't too surprised to find it open, but it only continued to fuel his bad feeling.

But it was for Taryn.

Sighing, Drew pushed the door open all the way and entered the dark arena, hurrying up a flight of stairs. He walked past the empty concession and souvenir stands in the circular hallway, his senses and nerves on high alert as he searched for any sign of his wife.

"Taryn!" he called, his voice echoing off the dark walls. "Taryn!"

Then, Drew paused when he saw a single light on in the arena where the WWE ring was still set up, and he walked over to the open doorway. His eyes widened in horror at what he saw. "Taryn!"

She was sitting in the ring with the light falling on her, struggling in the ropes that tied her to the ring post. When she heard his voice, Taryn quickly looked up, tears running down her cheeks as she watched her husband run down the stairs toward her. "No, Drew!" she said anxiously as he jumped the barricade and slid into the ring. "Stay away! You need to leave!"

"It's okay, Taryn," Drew muttered as he knelt in front of her and began to untie her. "I'll get you-!"

"No, Drew, you don't understand!" Taryn continued to plead with him. "I'm not the one who texted you to tell you to come here!"

Drew paused, looking into Taryn's face with confusion. "Then who did?" he wondered.

Before Taryn could say anything, she screamed when the hooded man who had taken her came up behind Drew and pulled him roughly to his feet by his hair. The Scotsman turned to face his attacker, kneeing him in the stomach until he released his hold on him. But then, Drew cried out when the other man's fist collided with his jaw.

"Are you okay?" Taryn asked when he stumbled back by her.

"Fine," Drew answered quietly, shaking the hit off before he got to his feet. He got a couple of his own punches in before he sent the hooded man into the ropes, smiling slightly as he fell out of the ring.

Then, he knelt back down next to his wife to get more of the rope undone. "I'll get you out of this soon, Taryn," Drew muttered. "I promise."

Taryn felt more tears fall from her eyes as she watched her husband work frantically to get her untied. She knew whoever had taken her wasn't through yet, not after all the trouble he had gone through to get Drew there.

Drew smiled slightly when he got more of the rope loosened. "There, just another-!"

But Drew was interrupted by a loud noise from behind him, and Taryn gasped when he looked over his shoulder to see that the hooded man had brought the set of steel steps into the ring. The Scotsman got to his feet when he came toward them, missing a punch as the other man grabbed his arms tightly. Drew tried to struggle out of the hold, but his attacker wrapped an arm around his chest tightly to prevent him from escaping as he dragged him over to the steps.

Then, Drew's eyes widened with fear and recognition when the light caught a bit of the man's face beneath his hood. "Oh, my God..."

Taryn continued to anxiously try to get out of the ropes, watching as her husband stared at the other man in shock. She pulled her arms free, seeing the hooded man had turned to look at her, feeling his dark eyes on her intently.

There was a moment where time seemed to slow down as they stared at each other. Then, the hooded man slammed the back of Drew's head forcefully on the steel steps.

"_Drew_!" Taryn screamed, tears streaming freely from her eyes as her husband landed unmoving in the ring. She got to her feet and knelt down next to him, brushing his light brown hair out of his face. She put her hand on his shoulder when she felt that he was still lightly breathing, but he wasn't responding to her. "Drew!"

Then, Taryn gasped when she looked up, seeing that the hooded man was towering over her. He reached into his leather jacket, pulling out a handgun. "No!" Taryn placed her own body over Drew's, making sure she was between him and the other man's gun. "Please don't kill him! Please... Don't..."

The man aimed his gun at her, and Taryn felt her entire body tense as she waited for the shot. But then, she noticed the man noticeably hesitate, taking a few steps back from them as he lowered the gun. She watched with confusion as he leaned on the ropes, staring at them for a minute longer, before he put the gun back in his jacket and rolled out of the ring. He then jumped the barricade and ran up the stairs without looking back.

Once the hooded man was gone, Taryn turned her attention back to her husband, who still hadn't moved. "Drew," she said anxiously running her fingers over his cheek. When she still got no response, she held his head close to her chest, sobbing into his light hair.

"_Drew_!"

**Author's Note**: As with all my stories, expect anything, lol. I would also like to take a moment to again thank NXT's **Lucky Cannon**, who went through the long road that is now ahead for Drew in this story. I am really grateful that he took the time to answer my questions and gave me some insight for this particular storyline in the upcoming chapters. So, thanks for reading, guys! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Glad to see you're all feeling bad for Drew, even if you guys don't like him much, lol. Many thanks to **x0allisonqt0x**, **Renna33**, **vampiregirl2009 Wolfgirl 77769**, **stephiexo95**, **myers1978**, **Vampirebaby13**, **ThePinkyPop**, and **elliexhardy** for your reviews! We'll find out more about Drew in this chapter. The hooded man... Not quite yet. But, enjoy!

_Chapter 8_

The woman sat behind the wheel of her rental car, sighing as she twirled a strand of her hair and watched the light rainfall make patterns on the window. Her friend had been hesitant about her boyfriend recruiting her to help them. She really couldn't blame him. She had never been one to always completely agree with Shane McMahon's plans.

But on the other hand, they hadn't done so well on their own. Their original plan of blowing up the hotel hadn't exactly worked. If it had, there wouldn't have been a need to make this one, and she wouldn't have been there now.

Then, she looked up when a black car pulled up into the spot next to her, seeing it was her boyfriend as he got out. She left her own car and walked over to him just as he started to walk up to the door of the hotel.

"Where did you go?" she asked, grabbing his arm to stop him. "Why did you run off without telling us?"

The man slowly turned to look at her, sighing as he lowered his hood. For a moment, the woman thought she saw the remains of what could have been tears on his cheeks, but they were instantly washed away by the rain. "I did what had to be done," he answered quietly.

"You still couldn't have said anything?" the woman wondered, her question still not really answered.

"I did what I had to do," the man repeated, brushing some of her now wet hair behind her ear. "Now my question for you is this. Is what you did enough?"

The woman bit her bottom lip. "It's... a start," she muttered.

Sighing, the man looked up at the hotel. "You know what you have to do," he said.

"Yes, I do, but-!"

"Then I expect it to be done," the man interrupted as he turned back to her. "He's seen me. We can't have that."

The woman sighed as she dropped her gaze from his. "I know." Then, she looked up into his dark eyes when he placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up.

"I need you with me, sweetheart," he told her.

"And you do have me," the woman replied, a small smile appearing on her face.

The man returned it before leaning down and meeting her lips in a soft kiss. Then, he turned and walked into the hotel.

Leaning back against her car, the woman sighed as she looked up at the darkening sky. She didn't know what she was going to do now.

* * *

_He took a sip of the coffee he had ordered from the cafe, his eyes narrowing when his stomach began to burn..._

Adam's eyes quickly snapped open, and he squinted in the light from the lamp next to his bed as he looked around the room. He gasped quietly when he saw his best friend standing next to him, holding the coffee cup he had since earlier that day. "Jay, wait!"

Surprised by the sudden outburst, Jay quickly looked down at the other man. "Relax, I wasn't going to drink any," he said with a slight laugh. "I was just going to toss it out since it's almost empty and it's been here since this morning. How are you feeling?"

Ignoring the question, Adam slowly sat up and took the cup from his friend's hand. Jay raised his eyebrow. "I don't know if that's good on your stomach the way it is now..." he began.

"I'm not going to drink it, Jay," Adam muttered, taking a deep breath when his stomach hurt a little. "I just want to look at it."

Jay watched as Adam took the lid off the cup and set it aside before looking at the leftover contents of the beverage. "I don't know what you're looking for, but..."

Adam glanced up from the cup when Jay's sentence trailed off, watching as he pulled out his cell phone and answered it. "Hello?" Then, he looked back at it, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to get a close look at the remains of the coffee flavoring.

"You're where? What happened?"

Hearing the sudden change in his best friend's tone, Adam looked back up at him, seeing the worried look on Jay's face. "Oh, my God... Yeah, I'll be right there."

"What's wrong?" Adam asked, setting the cup aside as Jay put his phone back in his pocket.

Jay sighed as he opened his bag. "Taryn's at the hospital," he answered, pulling out a light sweatshirt and putting it on. "Drew was attacked."

Adam looked at the other man with concern. "What happened?" The Scotsman wasn't the first to get attacked, but he was the first to be in the hospital because of one.

"Taryn was brought to the arena by some man," Jay explained as he grabbed the keys to the rental car. "Drew went after her. Their attacker slammed his head on the steel steps, and he hasn't woken up or responded at all since."

"They're getting more aggressive," Adam muttered, shaking his head. "I don't understand it. If this is just about taking Lexie... why are they doing this? Why target us individually?"

Jay shrugged. "It doesn't make sense to me either," he said. "Maybe... Maybe taking Lexie wasn't their main objective, I don't know. But I need to get to the hospital."

"I'll come with you." Adam slowly pushed himself to his feet, putting his hand down on the table when he felt a little lightheaded.

"I don't think that's such a good idea..."

Sighing, Adam picked up the water the other man had gotten for him and took a quick sip. "I'm okay," he replied. "The pain has lessened to a more manageable level, and I'm not really feeling nauseous anymore, just a bit weak like after any stomach virus. I can do this. Besides, if Drew's as bad as he sounds, Taryn's going to need all the support she can get.

Jay stared his best friend down, sighing quietly when he saw that he did appear to be a bit stronger. "Okay," he finally agreed while Adam pulled his light sweatshirt out of his bag and put it on. "As long as you're sure you're up to it. But I'm driving."

Adam smirked as he followed Jay out of the hotel room. "Deal.

* * *

Matt blinked repeatedly as he pushed open the door of his and Jeff's hotel room, trying to force away the lingering remains of his headache. They were becoming a bit more frequent, and he didn't know why they kept coming. Hopefully, the rest of the night could be restful.

Jeff looked up when he heard the door open, smiling slightly at his older brother. But then, his eyes narrowed slightly in concern when he watched him put his hand to his head. "Are you okay?" he asked as Matt sat down on his bed.

"Yeah, fine. Just getting over a headache," Matt answered quietly, blinking a couple more times before he returned the smile. "Hey, have you heard from Adam?"

"No, I haven't seen him today," Jeff replied. "Why?"

"I was just hoping to know if he was okay," Matt told him. "He had a bad food reaction after lunch..."

Jeff nodded. "Well, as far as I know, he's somewhat okay," he muttered. "I haven't heard anything about him going to the hospital or anything."

Matt sighed with relief. "Well, that's good," he said. "Jay and I both suggested a doctor, but he refused."

"And this is new for Adam how?" Jeff said with a laugh.

"Good point."

Jeff smirked, but before he could say anything more, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket when it began to ring, seeing that it was Taryn. "Hey, what's up?"

Matt looked up at his brother, watching as his face darkened with concern. "What?" he mouthed.

But Jeff only shook his head as he stood up, beginning to pace the room. "Slow down, Taryn," he muttered, his tone laced with worry. "What... Attacked? All right... Hold on, Taryn. We'll be there soon."

"What's going on?" Matt wondered as the younger Hardy put his cell phone back in his pocket.

"Drew's in the hospital," Jeff muttered, turning and walking out of the hotel room.

Matt's eyes widened with horror as he got to his feet and hurried after him. "What happened to him?" he continued to press as they walked down the hallway. "I heard you mention something about an attack..."

"Taryn was brought to the arena by a man she didn't know. He was wearing a hood," Jeff explained. "When Drew came for her, the man slammed his head down on the steel steps. Hasn't woken up yet."

Matt looked at his brother sadly, eyes dark with concern for his friends. "That's terrible," he muttered in disbelief. "Who would do a thing like that?"

Jeff sighed. "I don't know," he replied truthfully as they began walking down the stairs. "But we need to find out soon. Who knows what's going to happen next and to who?"

The brothers crossed the lobby, walking for the door as soon as Amy entered with a couple bags in her hand. "Whoa, where are you guys going?" she asked, seeing both Hardys' concerned expressions as they continued toward her.

"Hospital," Jeff answered quietly as he kept walking.

Amy watched as he walked out the door before she turned to Matt, who had stopped by her. "What happened?" she wondered.

Matt sighed as he ran his hand through his dark hair. "Drew was attacked," he told her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Come with us. I'll explain more on the way."

"Uh... okay." Amy glanced down at the bags in her hands as Matt hurried out of the hotel. She opened them, looking at their contents before glancing outside. Making up her mind, she tossed them into the nearby garbage can before running out after the older Hardy.

* * *

Taryn wrung her hands together as she sat tensed in the chair in the waiting room, anxiously waiting any news on her husband. What concerned her was Drew had not woken up at all or showed any response on the way to the hospital, and she knew any possibilities of his condition couldn't be good.

Then, she looked up when the door to the waiting room opened, sighing with relief when she saw the two men enter. "Jay," Taryn muttered, getting to her feet and hurrying over to him and Adam.

Jay pulled her close when she approached, feeling her cling to him tightly. "It'll be okay, Taryn," he tried to assure her, sighing when he heard her softly crying. "It's going to be okay."

Adam looked at her sadly before looking up when the door leading to the rooms opened, a doctor with a clipboard stepping out. "Family of Drew Galloway."

Taryn slowly pulled away from Jay, looking up at him nervously. "Come with me?" she asked in nearly a whisper.

"Of course," Jay answered. He could see the clear relief on Taryn's face as she grasped his hands tightly, and he glanced back at Adam as the three of them walked over to the doctor.

"That... that would be me," Taryn muttered, trying to blink her tears away and taking a deep breath. She was prepared for the worst.

The doctor sighed as he raised his glasses to sit on top of his head. With one look at his eyes, Adam knew the news wasn't going to be good. "I'm sorry," the man said, gazing at Taryn with sympathy. "After the head trauma Mr. Galloway sustained, I'm afraid to say he is now in a coma."

Taryn stared at the man in shock, her face draining of color almost instantly. "... What? He... he can't..."

"Is there anything you can do for him?" Jay asked, tightening his hold on Taryn's hands. "Is there any chance of him coming out of it?"

"Right now, it's hard to say anything for sure," the doctor answered heavily, moving his gaze to him. "We have him on life support to keep him stable, but other than that, the most we can do is wait. The rest is up to him."

Taryn looked down, her breath starting to come much quicker and shorter. Drew was in a coma with no guarantees of waking up. She was expecting his child...

Jay looked down at her, feeling her body tense. "Taryn?"

Suddenly, Taryn's legs collapsed from underneath her, and Jay immediately wrapped his arms around her as Adam took her arms and helped lower her safely to the floor. "Taryn!"

The doctor took a couple of steps closer to the trio, looking at the woman with concern as she leaned into Jay's arms, sobbing. "Is she okay?" he wondered.

"I'm sure she's just in shock," Adam replied as he got to his feet. "Is there anything that you suggest we do about Drew? Like how long we should wait?"

"Well, comas can vary in their length depending on the severity of the trauma," the doctor told him. "In Mr. Galloway's case, I recommend giving him a couple weeks. We'll monitor him for that long, and then we can decide what to do from there."

Adam nodded, desperately hoping that Drew was able to come out of the coma. He didn't want to think of the other option. "Thank you, doctor."

A small, sad smile appeared on the doctor's face as he looked down at Taryn. "For her sake," he muttered, "I hope he wakes up."

Jay and Adam then helped Taryn up and walked her over to a chair, gently setting her down before taking the chairs on either side of her. "Shh, Taryn..." Jay said, brushing some of her blonde hair out of her face as silent sobs continued to shake her body.

"I'm... so scared, Jay," Taryn whispered in a trembling voice, grasping his hands so tightly that her fingers were turning white. "What if... What if Drew doesn't wake up? What if... I have to have this baby on my own?"

Adam's eyes widened with surprise before narrowing with sorrow as Jay reached forward and wiped some of her tears away. "We need to stay strong and hope for the best," he told her quietly as she took a deep breath. "But listen to me, Taryn. You and this baby won't be alone... No matter what happens."

Taryn looked up at Jay, giving him a grateful smile. But before she could say anything, all three of them looked up when the door to the waiting room opened again, Matt, Jeff, and Amy approaching them immediately.

"How's Drew?" Jeff asked, noticing how shaken Taryn looked.

Adam sighed as he got to his feet. "Not good," he answered as he pulled the three aside while Jay continued to try to comfort Taryn. "Drew's in a coma."

Matt's eyes widened in horror like his brother's as he looked at the other man, Amy covering her mouth. "A coma?" he repeated, glancing at Taryn. "Have you heard anything more? Like is there any chance he could wake up?"

"We talked to the doctor about that," Adam explained. "He told us that we should wait for a couple weeks while they monitor him. If there aren't any indicators by that point, we should... talk about what to do from there." He noticeably hesitated on his last words.

"The poor thing..." Amy murmured, looking over at Taryn as well.

Jeff looked at Adam carefully. "There's more to this, isn't there?" he wondered.

Adam met the younger Hardy's gaze, nodding slowly. "Taryn... is pregnant."

"Oh, God..." Amy immediately walked away from them, kneeling down in front of Taryn and placing her hand on her arm.

"That's awful..." Matt muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "I swear, when we find the sick bastard who did this..."

"I know. I feel the same way," Adam agreed quietly.

Jeff then looked up when the door opened for a third time, and Phil, Maria, and John quickly entered. "Sorry we're a little late, sweetie," Maria said as she walked over to Jay, Amy, and Taryn. "I got your call. So sorry to hear about Drew's attack..."

Phil and John walked over to Adam, Matt, and Jeff. "How serious is it?" the Straightedge Superstar wondered, reading his friends' grim expressions.

"Drew is in a coma," Jeff told him. "We don't know much more than that right now."

"What exactly happened?" John asked, concern in his tone. "By the time Taryn called us, she was so shaken she really couldn't explain much."

Adam ran his hand through his hair. "Their attacker brought Taryn to the arena," he answered heavily. "Drew went after her, and when he got there, the man slammed his head on the steel steps."

"That's terrible..."

Suddenly, Matt hissed in pain, putting his hand to his head when a sharp pain went through it. Adam looked at him while Phil, John, and Jeff went to offer their condolences to Taryn. "Are you okay?"

Matt didn't say anything for a moment. Then, he slowly looked up at him, and Adam noticed they were the same eyes he had seen after the match when he had stopped him from attacking Drew. "I'm fine," he told him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Adam looked at him closely. "Just wondering," he replied.

"Shame about what happened to Drew, huh?" Matt continued. "But, with these kidnappers attacking everyone, it's bound to happen..."

"How can you even say something like that, Matt?" Adam's eyes narrowed, confused about where this attitude was coming from. "Drew's our friend..."

Matt nodded. "I know. I never said I wasn't sorry that it happened," he replied. "Looks like you're feeling better..."

"Somewhat," Adam confirmed, not liking Matt's tone. "Where did you go after Jay found us?"

There was a moment where what almost seemed like anger flickered in Matt's dark eyes. "I met Amy for a few minutes," he said. Adam glanced back at the woman, who looked up and nodded at the sound of her name.

Sighing, Adam turned back to Matt. "Okay... Because that was shortly before Drew got attacked..."

Matt's eyes narrowed. "Adam... You really think I had something to do with what happened to Drew?" he asked.

"Not necessarily what I'm saying," Adam answered. "But if you did see anything..."

"Yeah, well, where I was is really none of your concern," Matt told him. "What matters is what happened to Drew."

Sighing, Adam nodded in reluctant agreement. "And his recovery," he added.

Matt nodded slightly as he smirked. "Of course." Then, he leaned closer to the Rated R Superstar, stopping near his ear. "I would just be careful. You never know who you can trust."

Adam watched as Matt moved back away from him, raising his eyebrows quickly before reaching into pocket and pulling out his wallet. Then, he put his hand to his head again, blinking a couple times. "You sure you're okay, Matt?"

"Hmm? Yeah," Matt said, giving Adam a small smile. "Just been doing a lot of thinking... Not sleeping well either. Could be why I'm getting these frequent headaches... Going to get some water or something. That might help."

"Okay." Adam watched as Matt crossed the waiting room to a door of to the side that had vending machines, slowly shaking his head thoughtfully. He was a bit concerned about his friend, but a little suspicious. If he knew something...

But no matter how strange the older Hardy's words were, he did bring up a valid point. Adam sighed as he looked over his shoulder at the group around Taryn, one important question on his mind.

Who could he trust?

**Author's Note**: I will join you guys in saying poor Drew... and Taryn. And Matt poses a good question. Who can be trusted? Some answers will be revealed coming up in the next chapter, so keep an eye out for that. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Okay, I just want to say that I've been looking forward to posting this chapter since I began this story. It's the most important chapter to date for this story, and I hope you guys like it as much as I enjoyed writing it. One bad guy will be named. Thank you to **Vampirebaby13**, **ThePinkyPop**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **vampiregirl2009 Wolfgirl77769**, **jcott3**, **Renna33**, **the hardy boyz lover**, and **stephiexo95** for your awesome reviews! I'm excited for this chapter, and I know you guys are too, so let's get going!

_Chapter 9_

Matt pulled to a stop in a parking spot in front of the hotel, shutting the car off as he glanced at Jeff in the seat beside him. His younger brother's sad, green eyes met his dark ones for a moment before stepping outside, Amy doing the same from the back. Adam followed them shortly after, having gone with them since Jay had agreed to stay back at the hospital for a little while longer with Taryn. He watched as the three of them entered the hotel, sighing before he got out of the car and went after them.

When he entered the lobby, he saw Amy and Adam talking at the base of the stairs while Jeff headed to the bar. Matt watched the other Hardy until he was out of sight before walking toward the stairs himself, but he stopped when he heard his friends discussing in quiet tones.

"You're not looking so good," Amy was saying, placing her hand on Adam's forehead. "You're clammy... Are you all right?"

Adam sighed, gently grabbing her wrist and lowering it. "I'm fine, Ames," he replied. "I just need to rest up..."

Amy watched as he made it halfway up the flight of steps before pausing and holding onto the railing. "Sure you're fine," she muttered sarcastically, hurrying up the stairs to join him.

"I'm just feeling a little dizzy, that's all," Adam told her, glancing at her. "I'll be fine, Ames. Going out just may not have been the best idea yet..."

Sighing, Amy watched as Adam slowly continued to make his way up the stairs, following him as he went up another flight to the third floor. She watched as he stopped at the top as he took a deep breath. "Are you sure?" she pressed.

Adam looked down at her, giving her a small smile. "Yeah." Then, he placed his hand on his stomach for a moment. "It's just, uh... something I ate."

Amy's eyes narrowed in concern. "Well, let me make sure you at least get settled in," she muttered.

Seeing there was no arguing with her, Adam let Amy walk with him as he made his way to his and Jay's room, opening the door and walking inside. Amy followed after him, watching as he immediately sat on his bed. She took a seat next to him, brushing some of his blond hair away from his face and seeing a thin layer of sweat had appeared, his breathing a bit shorter and quicker.

"Lay down," she said, getting back to her feet.

Adam looked up at her with surprise, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, Ames..." he began, but his sentence trailed off when he saw her determined look. He sighed, situating his pillow before laying down on it and closing his eyes. He had to admit it was a good idea as the dizziness slowly started to wane, the pounding in his head dying down.

Amy walked into the bathroom, turning on the sink as she picked up a wash rag and began to run it under cold water. She had Adam alone. This was the perfect opportunity, and she would have no one to blame but herself if she didn't take it. But yet, something in the back of her mind still held her back...

With a heavy sigh, Amy turned off the sink and wrung out the rag so it wouldn't be dripping before she left the bathroom. She sat down on the bed again, and Adam opened his eyes as she began to dab at his face and neck with the cold cloth.

"That feels good," he muttered with a small smile.

"I thought it would." Amy returned it as she then folded the cloth and placed it on his forehead.

Adam sighed as he looked up at her. "Why are you doing this, Ames?" he asked.

Amy moved her gaze. "You're not feeling well," she answered quietly, not able to look in his eyes. "Gotta help a friend out, right?"

"There's more to it..."

Taking a deep breath, Amy looked back at Adam, biting her bottom lip. "I... I guess that it's because I..."

Adam raised an eyebrow, and Amy sighed. "You know what? It doesn't really matter," she muttered, getting to her feet. She knew what he would say anyway. "Get some sleep. You'll feel better."

"Amy, wait," Adam said, but he sighed as she hurried away from the bed and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Taryn slowly approached the bed, biting her bottom lip as she looked down at her husband. His expression was peaceful, almost as though he was just sleeping, though the machines monitoring him and keeping him alive told another story. She took a deep breath, reaching forward with trembling fingers and brushing some of his light brown hair out of his face, knowing she wouldn't get a response.

Jay took a couple steps closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders when he saw that she was struggling to hold back tears. "Taryn..."

Feeling a couple tears escape from her eyes, Taryn turned into Jay's chest, holding onto him tightly. "He's going to wake up... right, Jay?" she asked in a whisper.

Sighing, Jay wrapped both arms around her as he looked down at Drew. He didn't know what to say. He hoped the younger man would wake up, but he also knew there were no guarantees.

When he didn't say anything for a long moment, Taryn slowly looked up at him, wiping her few tears away. "I know you can't say for sure," she muttered, giving him a small but forced smile. "I'm just..." Her sentence trailed off, her hand moving to her stomach.

"It'll be okay, Taryn," Jay told her, hoping he was giving her a reassuring smile. "I do think Drew will come out of this. But we have to remain strong and positive for him."

Taryn took Jay's hand with a sigh. "I know. And we will," she replied, tightening her fingers around his. "You should probably head back to the hotel, Jay. You look tired. Plus I know you're concerned about Adam since I overheard you talking with him."

Jay gave her a sad look. "I'm okay, Taryn," he said. "Adam assured me all he was going to do was go to the room and sleep. I don't know about you staying here by yourself..."

"I'll be fine, Jay." Taryn smiled at him, this time a little more sincere. "The doctor's going to set up a cot for me. You can come back tomorrow after you get some rest."

Though he wasn't thrilled, Jay reluctantly nodded. "All right," he agreed quietly. "If you need anything..."

Taryn smiled as she wrapped her arms around Jay in a hug. "I'll give you a call." Then, she kissed his cheek. "Thank you... for everything."

Jay sighed as he hugged her back. "Anytime, Taryn."

* * *

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, sighing with relief when he saw the number. "Hey, Man, I don't know where you ran off to, but I'm glad to hear from you," he said. "I've been wanting to talk-!"

_"Did you take it?"_ the man in charge asked, interrupting him.

The man looked over at Lexie, who was sitting on the floor playing with her stuffed animals. "Yeah, I left it too," he answered.

_"Good," _the other man replied. _"At least I know that's one thing getting done..."_

"That's what I've been wanting to talk to you about," the man muttered, standing up from the chair. "Look, Man, I know she's your girlfriend, but I don't think-!"

_"I know she's straying," _the other man said. _"But I will give her one more chance to complete the task I have set for her."_

The man sighed. "That's not the only thing I'm concerned about," he told him. "She's getting attached to the girl. Bought her stuffed animals earlier."

There was a long pause on the other end. _"She didn't tell me that..."_

"Didn't think she would."

The man sighed. _"I'll talk to her," _he said. _"We'll figure out something. But it looks like I have to start doing things myself."_

"Let me know how that goes." The man paced the room, his eyes landing on Lexie.

_"I'll keep you posted." _Then, before he let his friend get another word in, the line went dead.

* * *

The woman was lying on her back on the bed in her hotel room, staring up at the ceiling. She knew what she had to do, but so far, hadn't been able to do it. Her boyfriend had to be disappointed in her, but she couldn't help it.

Then, her cell phone began to ring and she picked it up from the bed next to her, sighing when she saw it was his number before reluctantly answering the call. "Hey."

_"Hello, sweetheart."_

"Look, I'm sorry..." the woman began, sitting up on the bed.

_"Did you get what I asked you to get?"_ the man asked.

The woman ran her hand through her hair, sighing heavily. She had gotten what he had asked her to since it would help with getting rid of the man who knew about her boyfriend, but she hadn't kept it. "No," she finally answered, hoping he didn't catch the slight waver in her tone.

_"No?" _the man repeated. _"And why not?"_

"I... I haven't had the time to get around to it..." the woman muttered.

_"And yet you had the time to pick up the girl a couple stuffed animals."_

A wave of panic coursed through the woman. "I... I just..."

_"I don't care what the reasoning is," _the man interrupted. _"Now listen very carefully. I have a plan to help you since you can't seem to get it right. I will start it for you, and I expect you to finish it. Do you understand me?"_

The woman bit her bottom lip. "Yes," she said in a voice hardly above a whisper. "He... he's vulnerable..."

_"Good. I'll inform you when I'm ready."_

"Okay," the woman replied.

There was a pause on the other end. _"You need to be with me on this, sweetheart," _he muttered, his tone more gentle. _"I know it's difficult for you... but I need you."_

The woman felt a thin line of tears form in her eyes. "I am with you, love," she told him, hoping her voice sounded strong. "I am."

_"Just making sure. I'll see you later."_

"See you later." The woman ended the call, setting her phone down on the bed before getting to her feet and crossing the room. She opened a drawer on the desk, pulling out what was inside and sticking it in her light sweatshirt. If anything, the call from her boyfriend had made her more determined. She would prove to him, and to herself, that she was not the weak link. She would make sure she went through with his plan.

* * *

Adam left the bathroom, once again feeling a bit stronger. Whatever had made him sick was clearly leaving his system. He tossed his toothbrush and toothpaste back in his bag before picking up his cell phone, seeing he had a text message. It was from Jeff.

_Hey r u up to talking?_

Since he was feeling somewhat better, Adam sent an answer back. _Yeah. Where r u?_

It didn't take long to get an answer. _Bar._

_Be there soon._ Adam put his phone in his pocket, zipping up his bag before leaving the room. As he was walking down the stairs to the lobby, he smiled when he saw Jay coming up them.

"Hey, you're back," he said, stopping on the steps when his best friend did.

Jay gave him a small smile. "Yeah, just got here," he replied. Then, he sighed as he looked down. "Taryn's a wreck."

Adam's gaze saddened. "Of course," he muttered. "Expecting a child and being unsure if the father is going to be there... My heart goes out to her."

"Exactly. Mine too." Then, Jay looked back at the other man. "How are you feeling? I know you were feeling a little worse when you left the hospital."

"I'm feeling better now," Adam told him truthfully. "Laid down a bit due to Amy's insisting..." His sentence trailed off when he saw Jay raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"Amy?" Jay repeated.

Sighing, Adam rolled his eyes. "She followed me up to the room," he explained. "Found it a little annoying since she was insisting on taking care of me... Then she left."

"Oh, sure. So _she_ can take care of you."

Adam glared at Jay for the joke.

"So, where are you headed now?" Jay asked, his smile lingering.

"The bar to talk to Jeff for a bit," Adam answered, quickly adding, "No, Jay, I'm not going to drink anything."

Jay nodded. "All right," he replied. "I'm just going to go back to the room, maybe try to get a little sleep. I'm exhausted."

"Okay." Adam could tell by looking in his best friend's eyes how tired he was. "I'll see you in a little bit. I won't stay long."

"See you in a bit," Jay agreed.

Adam watched the other man make his way up the stairs before he continued down to the lobby. He saw a thin man with curly black hair tied back behind his head, a leather jacket over his arm, standing at the checkout desk. He turned around as he crossed the lobby, the man giving him a polite smile as he looked at the Rated R Superstar through a pair of thin glasses. Adam nodded and returned it, watching as the man then left the hotel before he entered the bar.

He found Jeff sitting at a table near the back corner, and Adam made his way over. The younger Hardy looked up and smiled when the other man sat across from him.

"Thanks for coming," Jeff said, setting his drink down. "Do you want anything?"

"No, I'd better not," Adam replied with a slight smile. "What's up? You wanted to talk?"

Jeff sighed, looking down for a moment before raising his gaze back to his friend's. "I noticed Matt talking to you at the hospital," he muttered. "You've known us for quite some time. I was just wondering if he's seemed a little... off to you lately."

Adam sighed too, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table. "Matt has seemed a bit... different," he agreed. "I've definitely noticed the change. He had a drastic mood swing at the hospital..."

"And the headaches he keeps getting," Jeff added. "That can't be normal."

"No." Adam shook his head. "Does Matt have a history of migraines or anything like that?"

Jeff took a sip of his beer. "No," he told him. "Nothing like that. It just seems so sudden. He wasn't like this before."

"He wasn't," Adam said quietly, biting his bottom lip thoughtfully. "But if it is a recent thing... What caused it?"

"I don't know." Jeff ran his hand through his hair. "But whatever it is, I'm really concerned about him."

* * *

Matt blinked a couple times as he walked down the hallway toward his and Jeff's room, sighing as the remains of his headache finally went away. They were becoming a lot more frequent, leaving him exhausted and giving him a couple minutes of memory lapse. Since it was only getting worse, he figured he should get it checked out when he had the time. Aspirin wasn't doing much good.

But then, Matt stopped when he nearly ran into Amy as she came around the corner. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Oh, geeze, that's okay," Amy said with a small laugh, glancing around and seeing they were alone in the hallway. "Just startled me, that's all."

Matt returned the smile. "So, uh, how are you?" he asked. "I haven't seen you around much."

Amy looked back at him, a look of what almost seemed like confusion on her face. "Um... I'm fine," she answered. "And yourself?"

"Okay," Matt told her, seeming a little confused himself. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Amy replied, hiding her feeling behind a smile. She glanced around again, seeing that they were still the only two in the hallway. "It's just... never mind."

Matt raised an eyebrow, running his hand through his dark hair. "Um... okay," he muttered, feeling a bit awkward. "Glad you're doing well. With all these attacks..."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, it's unsettling," she agreed. "And now with Drew..."

The older Hardy's eyes saddened. "I know, I feel terrible," he said with a sigh. "I was thinking of having Jeff and I leave in the morning, but I don't want to leave him and Taryn when they need us. I couldn't do that."

"I was thinking of doing the same," Amy replied slowly, confusion again flickering in her eyes. "But yeah, as you said, can't leave them."

Matt shook his head. "No..." But then, a small smile appeared on his face as he looked back up at her. "I'm going to try to get some sleep. I'm just exhausted. Nice talking to you, Amy. We should do it more often."

"Yeah..." Amy smiled when Matt pulled her into a hug, feeling it vanish as she rested her chin on his shoulder for a moment before letting go. "Talk to you later, Matt." She watched as the older Hardy continued to walk toward his room, shaking her head before she continued to make her way down to the lobby.

* * *

Adam left the bar a short time later, not wanting to stay long since he wasn't planning on drinking anything. But he was glad he had met with Jeff since he now knew the person closest to Matt felt the same way he did. Something was off about the older Hardy.

But as he started to cross the lobby, Adam paused when something colorful caught his eye sitting on one of the black chairs. He slowly walked over and picked it up, seeing it was a small pink shoe a little girl must have lost. His first thought was to bring it to the front desk, but as he looked at it closer, he couldn't help but think it looked familiar.

Then, the door to the hotel opened, and he watched as Phil, Maria, and John entered the lobby. They all smiled as they got closer to Adam, but the Straightedge Superstar suddenly stopped, his eyes widening when he looked down at the shoe in the other man's hand.

"Where did you get that?" he asked in a whisper. Maria and John both stopped and turned to look back at them.

"I just..." Adam began, but his sentence trailed off when Phil snatched the shoe from his hand and looked at it carefully.

"This is Lexie's shoe," Phil muttered, moving his gaze back to Adam. "How did you get this?"

"Look, Phil," Adam said, taking a step back when he saw the anger in his hazel eyes. "I-!"

"How do you have this?" Phil demanded, interrupting him as he strode forward. "Where the hell is my daughter?"

Adam put his hands out in front of him defensively as Phil got closer. "I don't know where she is!" he told him. "I'm trying to tell you, I just-!"

But he was cut off abruptly when Phil lunged at him, though John immediately came between them to keep a fight from breaking out. Maria stopped in front of her husband, brushing some of his black hair out of his face.

"Phil," she muttered pleadingly, hoping he would calm down. She was just as worried about their daughter, but fighting would only make things worse.

After a moment, Phil looked down at her, wrapping his free arm around her waist before moving his intense gaze back to Adam. "If I find out you had _anything_ to do with this..."

"Oh, yeah, because I would do that to a little girl I care about," Adam snapped sarcastically. "But look around you, Phil. If you haven't noticed, Lexie's not the only one in danger. We _all_ are. There's a lot more going on here! Just look at John and Drew. It'll only be a matter of time before they make their way to you. Or worse, Maria."

Phil tightened his arm around his wife, pulling her closer to him. He continued to stare down Adam, taking a deep breath before walking toward the stairs, bringing Maria with him. The Rated R Superstar watched them leave, seeing the apologetic look Maria gave him before turning his attention back to John.

"You have to believe me. I don't know where Lexie is..." he muttered.

John sighed. "I didn't think you would take her since you two are so close," he replied just as quietly. "But how did you have her shoe?"

"It was lying on the chair," Adam told him, gesturing to where it had been. "I just found it when you guys came in."

A moment of tense silence hung between them. "If that's the case, John said, his eyes flickering nervously, "these people are a lot closer than we initially thought."

* * *

Matt entered his hotel room, shutting the door behind him before walking over to his bed. He sighed. Taryn had been a wreck when they had all visited her and Drew at the hospital. He couldn't imagine how hard it was to have her husband in a coma with no signs of waking up while she was pregnant, uncertain if their child would have a father...

The older Hardy sat down on the bed, reaching into his pocket to pull out his cell phone and set it on the small table before trying to get some sleep. But it slipped from between his fingers and fell to the floor, bouncing under the bed. He rolled his eyes as he knelt on the floor, lifting up the sheets to look for his phone.

He grabbed it right away since it wasn't far under, but then Matt paused when he saw something bunched up a little further under the bed, and he slowly reached forward and grabbed it. He held it out in front of him, seeing that it was a leather jacket. "That's strange," he muttered, getting to his feet and looking it over. "That's not mine. I wonder how it got here..."

Then, he gasped quietly when a sharp pain went through his head, and he dropped the jacket on the bed. Matt sighed as he began to pace the room, putting his hand to his head when the intense pain only increased. He wasn't sure why the terrible headache had come on so suddenly or why it was worse than the others as he closed his eyes tightly, hoping it would go away...

_He walked toward Shane McMahon, who was standing at the edge of a coffin-shaped hole that was being filled with dirt. He stopped next to him, smirking as he saw a glimpse of Adam Copeland's face before it was buried in the earth, his screams dying away..._

"Adam?" Matt muttered with concern, opening his eyes and looking around him in confusion. "When did I..."

_Shane turned to look at him with a broad grin on his face. "Come on," he said, gesturing to a car that was parked a bit down the hill from the site of the bombed hotel. "I have something for you for helping me get Adam..."_

"I didn't..." Matt shook his head in protest as he kept pacing. He wasn't sure where these thoughts were coming from...

_He watched as Shane opened his trunk and pulled out a gym bag, shutting it again as he handed it to him. He quickly unzipped it, his dark eyes lighting up when he saw it was filled with money. "I'd say that's a fair trade..."_

The words echoed in Matt's head, but he wasn't able to recall saying them even though they had come from his mouth. "No... I wouldn't give up Adam," he murmured to himself as he stumbled into the bathroom. "I _didn't_ give up Adam..."

_"Maria's vulnerable," he said into his cell phone, glancing around the parking lot of the burning arena, watching as firefighters tried to put the flames out before looking back at the ambulance where Jeff and Adam were sitting with Jay. "Good choice to go after her..."_

"Not Maria..." Matt turned on the light and leaned heavily on the sink, looking at his pale, fearful expression in the mirror...

_He ended the call with Shane on his cell phone, putting it back in his pocket..._

Matt growled with frustration, putting his head into his hands as his teeth clenched tightly together. He didn't know why these flickers of memories were coming to him when they weren't his own...

_He was kneeling on the ground next to Jay, his hands clamped tightly around his neck as he angrily tried to strangle the life out of him. He saw the fear in his eyes, his hands reaching up to try to push him away so he could breathe..._

"I wouldn't hurt Jay..." Hot tears were starting to form in Matt's eyes as he pulled at his hair, feeling some of the curls come loose from the ponytail behind his head. "I didn't do this..."

_He pulled a smiling Amy Dumas close to him, meeting her lips in a soft kiss..._

"We're not together..." Matt muttered, shaking his head.

_He was with Drew Galloway in the arena, surrounded by cheering fans, as his fists relentlessly landed on the other man before the Scotsman was pushed away from him by John Hennigan. He tried making his way back to him, forced out of the ring by Adam..._

Matt didn't remember that during his comeback wrestling match. "When did I... I didn't..."

_He was standing in the ring, aiming a gun at an unconscious Drew and a sobbing Taryn Terrell as she covered him protectively..._

"No!" Matt grabbed his dark hair tightly, feeling a couple strands come loose from his scalp. "Stop... _Stop_!"

_He stood staring down Adam in the hospital waiting room, a suspicious look in the other man's eyes..._

Suddenly, Matt's body tensed, and then he was still. The sounds of his quick, ragged breathing stopped, replaced with calm, even breaths. He slowly lowered his hands from his head and straightened up, seeing his dark hair was a wild mass around his face. He reached up and pulled out the ponytail so that all of his hair fell down to his shoulders in waves, and he pushed it back from his face. His expression was no longer confused and fearful, but was now confident and cruel. His dark eyes contained no more tears, now radiating malice.

"It's okay, Matt. I'm here. You don't have to deal with them anymore. I'll make sure this ends tonight."

Without another word, he turned away from the mirror, switching the light off as he left the bathroom. He went to the bed and picked up his leather jacket, slipping it on before he crossed the room and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. He walked a short way before coming to a stop in front of one of the doors, a smirk appearing on his face as he reached out and knocked.

After a moment, the door opened to reveal Jay on the other side. "Matt?" he wondered. "What's going on, Man?"

He didn't say anything as he continued to stare at the other man, and Jay's smile vanished as his dark gaze seemed to see right through him. "Matt... what's wrong?" He began to back away from the door, the other man slowly following him inside the room.

Suddenly, he reached out, hands clamping around Jay's neck for a moment before angrily slamming him against the wall. He watched as the other man slid down to the floor, the force knocking over a small chair next to him as he gasped for breath and looked up at him with fear. "Matt, what the hell are you doing?"

Instead of getting an answer, he was kicked forcefully in the side by the older Hardy before he knelt down next to him, watching him as he coughed. "My name," he muttered darkly, a demented gleam in his eyes as he forced Jay to look up at him, "is Matthew."

**Author's Note**: "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886) is one of my favorite classic novels. So, when it presented itself, I jumped at the opportunity to use some of the themes in this story. They will be much more obvious from here on out. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Wow at the response of the last chapter, lol! Glad you all liked it! And since most of you were leaving guesses, let's reveal another bad guy, should we? Thank you so much to **x0allisonqt0x**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **jcott3**, **vampiregirl2009 Wolfgirl77769**, **myers1978**, **Vampirebaby13**, **ThePinkyPop**, and **stephiexo95** for your reviews! Enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 10

Phil pushed open the door of his hotel room, Maria following close behind him. She watched as he stopped by the window, sighing heavily as he looked down at the small pink shoe he held in his hand. "I can't believe Adam might have had something to do with this..." he began, shaking his head in disbelief.

Maria sighed too, running his hand through her hair. "Phil..."

"What?" Phil snapped unintentionally, quickly turning back to look at his wife.

"I... I don't think Adam did this," Maria muttered, tears filling her eyes. "You know how close he and Lexie are..."

Phil only stared at Maria, holding up their daughter's shoe.

"He said he found it," Maria told him, her voice shaking slightly. "And I believe him-!"

"Well, good for you," Phil interrupted, his stress once again slipping through. "But Lexie is missing, and right now, I'm not trusting anyone."

Maria shook her head. "Phil... Do you really think one of our _friends_ did this?"

Phil didn't answer for a long moment, sighing as he ran his hand through his hair and looked away from his wife. He turned back to the window, placing his hands on the windowsill and hanging his head. "When Lexie was kidnapped at the gym," he said in a voice hardly above a whisper, "she wasn't far from me. I could _hear_ her, Ria. You know how she is with people she doesn't know. She didn't cry at all. She knew the person who took her, Ria."

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Maria quickly wiped at her eyes when she felt a few tears starting to escape from them. "I... I still don't think... it was Adam..."

"It damn well could have been Adam!" Phil turned back to his wife. "It could have been Jeff! It could have been John! It could have been anyone here! Don't you understand, Ria? She _knew_ who took her!"

Maria looked at her husband for a moment longer before she turned and left the hotel room, slamming the door behind her. Phil took a deep breath before he angrily knocked over the chair by the desk, slamming his hand down on the surface. He leaned on the desk, his breathing hard.

He didn't care who had taken his daughter. He was going to find her if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Lexie watched as the man paced the room, looking at his cell phone intently. "Where the lady?" she asked curiously.

"She won't be back here," the man answered, not even looking at her as he kept his eyes on his phone.

Sighing, Lexie went back to playing with her stuffed animals. "I want her," she muttered.

"Well, kid, you can't always get what you want," the man replied with irritation. "Damn it, ring already."

Lexie looked up at him at hearing the naughty word, about to comment on it when he suddenly stopped, opening his phone and bringing it to his ear.

"About time. How did your plan go?" The man listened to what the man in charge was saying on the other end of the line. "Oh, you're not done yet... You think she'll actually go through with it this time? If you're sure..." Then, a look of confusion crossed his face. "Wait. Why do you want to go now? Oh, no, you're not leaving me alone with the girl... No one knows we're here, Man... Okay, yeah, I guess you're right. We don't want your girlfriend getting any more attached. Plus we don't want to take any chances with her being found. Okay, give me ten or fifteen minutes to get her out."

"Where we going?" Lexie wondered, watching as the man put his phone back in his pocket.

The man sighed, crossing the room over to her and picking her up the floor roughly, making her drop her stuffed animals. "We're going for a little car ride."

* * *

Amy slowly walked up the stairs back from the lobby, sighing as she ran her hand through her hair as she checked the time on her cell phone. She knew it wouldn't be long now.

But when she got to her floor, she gasped with surprise when she nearly bumped into another red-haired woman. "I'm sorry," Amy said with a small smile.

"Oh, that's okay, Amy. My fault," Maria replied with a smile of her own. "I... I wasn't paying attention..."

Amy's eyes narrowed with concern when she saw the tears staining her cheeks. "Hey, Maria, are you okay?" she wondered.

"Huh? Yeah, I'll be fine," Maria replied, trying to wipe away the remainder of her tears. "Just under a lot of stress, as Phil is, with Lexie missing..."

"I understand what you mean," Amy muttered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She sighed when the other woman placed her head on her shoulder, and she ran her hand up and down her arm in a comforting way. "But I'm sure you'll find her."

Maria nodded. "I know we will," she whispered, taking a deep breath. Then, she raised her head off Amy's shoulder and gave her a smile as she took a couple steps back. "Want to come with me to the bar? I usually don't do this since Phil doesn't like it, but with all the stress..."

Amy sighed, but before she could answer, she felt her phone vibrate from her pocket. "I would, but I just came back from there," she replied with an apologetic smile. "I'm going to just head back to my room, I think. I'm tired..."

"Okay, that's fine." Maria laughed a little, giving the other woman a quick hug. "Thanks for talking a little bit, Amy."

"Sure." Amy sighed as he hugged her back, her expression saddening. "Anytime, Maria."

* * *

Taryn sat in the chair next to Drew's bed, looking down at her husband with tears in her eyes. She reached forward and took his hand in hers, looking into his blank face with hope that she would see some sort of response. But of course, there wasn't one.

Then, she looked behind her when she felt a hand land on her shoulder, finding herself looking into the smiling face of the main nurse that had been taking care of both of them. "Your cot is all set up whenever you're ready for it," she told her, gesturing to it behind her.

"Thank you," Taryn replied, sniffing and wiping at her eyes as she gave her a small smile of her own.

The nurse nodded, moving around her to stand on the other side of the bed. Taryn watched as she checked on Drew's vitals, making sure that he was stable. When nothing seemed out of the ordinary, she walked past Taryn again and left the room.

Sighing, Taryn turned back to her husband, slowly getting to her feet and leaning over him. She ran her fingers through his light brown hair, bending down and lightly kissing his forehead before kissing his lips. "Drew," she whispered, more tears forming in her eyes. "I'm right here, sweetheart. Whenever you want to wake up... you can, okay? It's up to you, sweetheart. Whenever you want... you can wake up."

* * *

The woman quickly walked down the hall, coming to a stop in the doorway of the open room she knew her boyfriend was in. "Got your message," she muttered, watching as he tied up his victim's hands.

Matthew quickly looked up, smiling when he saw her. "Good," he replied, quickly finishing knotting the rope. "We need to finish this tonight."

Jay looked up at the new arrival, and his eyes widened in horror when he saw her. "You?" he demanded. "How could you-!" But his sentence was abruptly cut off when Matthew got to his feet and kicked him forcefully in the side, leaving him gasping for air.

The woman looked at Jay, biting her bottom lip as Matthew came and stopped in front of her. "Listen closely," he muttered, putting his fingers beneath her chin and tilting her head up to look at him. "You had better do what I have asked you. After I bring him down to the pool, I'm going to head out and get some other things done, so you need to finish this. Can I count on you, sweetheart?"

The woman looked into his dark eyes for a long moment before leaning forward and meeting his lips in a soft kiss. "Yes," she whispered. She wouldn't be the weak link.

Matthew smirked, kissing her again. "Good," he said. "Because if he's not dead, there will be dire consequences. This is your last chance. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," the woman replied with a nod.

"All right, then. Go." Matthew gestured toward the door.

The woman sighed as she nodded, glancing at Jay and seeing the betrayal in his eyes before she hurried out of the room. Once she was gone, Matthew turned back to Jay and brought his foot down heavily on his stomach, causing the other man to cough as he tried to get air back into his lungs. He then reached down and effortlessly tossed him over his shoulder, turning off the lights before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

"Well, Jay," he muttered as he walked toward the staircase, ignoring the other man as he tried to struggle out of his hold. "I hope you enjoy swimming."

* * *

Jeff pushed open the door of his hotel room, surprised to see that the lights were on. When he and Matt had left to visit Taryn at the hospital, he was sure they had turned them off. His brother must have been there.

He shut the door behind him before going further inside, looking around closely. Nothing seemed to be out of place in the main part of the room, but he wondered where Matt had gone in such a hurry. It didn't seem like him.

Then, Jeff wandered into the bathroom, turning on the light. He gasped when he saw some black curls sitting on the sink, recognizing them to belong to Matt. He cautiously approached the counter, picking one of the long strands up and looking at it with confusion.

"What happened, Matt?" Jeff muttered to himself, shaking his head. He looked at his reflection in the mirror for a long moment, staring into his concerned green eyes, before quickly leaving the bathroom. He was about to leave the room, but he paused when he noticed Matt's bed looked disturbed. Curious, the younger Hardy slowly walked over and knelt down next to it, lifting the sheets to look underneath.

At first glance, it looked empty. But then, he noticed the light catch something, and Jeff reached underneath and pulled out a hand mirror with a crack in the glass. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at his distorted expression before getting back to his feet. He stuck the mirror in the pocket of his light sweatshirt before hurrying out of the room, having a feeling that something was off.

* * *

Adam pushed open the door of the room he was sharing with Jay angrily, but he was surprised to see that the lights were out and it was empty. He remembered his best friend telling him he was going to be coming back. He turned the lights back on, slowly entering the room as he looked around him. The small chair against the wall had been knocked over, and he knelt down and set it back up.

"Jay?" he called, having a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach about his best friend. It only grew when he got no answer.

Then, Adam looked over his shoulder when he heard footsteps, and he watched as Amy stopped in front of his room. "Oh, thank God," she muttered. "Adam, it's Jay-!"

"Where is he?" Adam interrupted anxiously, getting to his feet to face her. "What happened?"

Amy sighed, biting her lip nervously. "He's down by the pool," she told him. "I don't know why..."

Wondering why the other man would be there at that hour, Adam didn't let Amy finish as he pushed past her and hurried out of the room, heading toward the stairs. Amy watched him for a moment until he was around the corner, shutting the door of the room before going after him. She had to run to catch up with him since he was nearly down the stairs by the time she found him, and they crossed the lobby together.

Adam pushed open the door of the pool once he reached it, instantly met with the strong, nearly overbearing smell of chlorine. He cautiously entered the room with Amy behind him, their footsteps echoing on the tile floor as they walked toward the water's edge. The room was dark, lit by the moon's rays coming in through the windows and the lights in the pool, casting strange shadows. Adam scanned the area intently, ignoring the humidity as he searched for his best friend. If what Amy said was right, he was there somewhere...

Then, Adam quickly turned his attention to the pool when he heard a splash, and he watched with surprise as Jay broke the surface for a moment, gasping for breath before he fell back beneath the water in the deep end of the pool. "_Jay_!" he shouted, running around the pool before kneeling down at the edge where his friend was. He reached into the water, anxiously searching for him while Amy slowly walked over to him, and he smiled slightly when he grabbed onto his arm and pulled.

Jay broke the surface again, coughing to get the water out of his lungs. Adam got a better hold on him and pulled him most of the way out of the pool, noticing that his hands were tied together and there was something attached to his leg that was holding him down. "You trust me, Jay?" he muttered. Jay was only able to nod, and Adam sighed. "Then hold your breath."

When Jay did as he was told, Adam dropped him back into the pool. Then, he took a deep breath and jumped into the water himself, swimming down to where the other man was at the bottom. He began to work at the rope that attached what he now saw was a heavy weight from the workout room at the bottom of the pool to his friend's leg, finally getting it free. He then grabbed Jay around the waist and quickly swam to the surface, making sure he was holding onto the edge before he pulled himself out of the pool. He then got Jay out, watching with concern as he lay on the ground and took a lot of deep breaths before he began to untie his hands.

But to his surprise, Jay shook his head anxiously as he tried to help him. "Adam... run..." he whispered hoarsely.

"Why?" But before his best friend could say anything, Adam closed his eyes when he felt the cool barrel of a gun press against his temple. "I was wondering when you were going to do something like this, Amy."

"When did you know it was me?" Amy asked, a smile on her face as she knelt down and got close to Adam.

"I didn't know for sure, but I had my suspicions," Adam answered quietly, a small smile appearing on his face as well. "My first clue was when you had no marks on you after you claimed you were attacked. You might have had a scratch or something, but you had nothing."

Amy laughed quietly, lightly brushing her lips over Adam's neck. "Well, aren't you observant to catch my one slip," she murmured. "This is why you were targeted. You figured me out. When I couldn't get to you myself, I went through the one person closest to you."

"You're not working alone." Adam then hissed with pain when she pressed the gun to his head with more force. "I didn't start suspecting you until then. Besides, you couldn't have done this to Jay by yourself."

"What, you don't think I could have done this alone?" Amy's eyes moved to Jay, who was struggling to try to get his hands untied so he could help his friend.

Adam smirked as he looked at her. "I know you didn't," he told her. "How could you watch Lexie and attack us at the same time? There's at least two of you. And the main person that has been attacking everyone has definitely been a man."

Anger passed over Amy's face as she made sure the gun was loaded, placing her finger lightly on the trigger. "Well, well. Unfortunately for you, you figured this all out too late," she said, running her free hand through his blond hair. "I have you exactly where I want you. Anything you want to say before you die?" Jay's attempts to free himself became a lot more frantic as he watched them anxiously.

"Well... I guess there is one thing," Adam muttered.

"And what would that be?" Amy wondered, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

Adam smirked. "The water's fine."

Amy looked at him with confusion. "What?" But then, she shrieked when Adam suddenly grabbed her wrist, taking the gun from her grasp with relative ease. Then, he got to his feet, pulling her up with him, and she screamed as he pushed her into the deep end of the pool. "Adam, you asshole!" she snapped angrily as she came back to the surface, coughing out water.

Unfazed by her outburst, Adam bent over and grabbed the gun from the floor, making sure it was loaded before he aimed it in her direction. "You, my dear, are a criminal, and you should be treated as such," he said lightly. "Now, you're going to stay in there until you answer my questions."

A confident smirk appeared on Amy's face. "You won't shoot me," she replied, beginning to swim toward the edge of the pool. But she stopped when Adam placed his finger on the trigger.

"Wanna bet?" he asked, slowly walking forward and crouching at the end of the pool, the gun still trained on her. "You helped kidnap a little girl that we all care about. You almost killed Jay, and another one of my friends is in a coma because of your plan. You tried to kill me before with whatever you put in my coffee, and I'm sure that if I wouldn't have gotten the gun away from you, you would have shot me without a second thought. So, with all that being said, give me one reason not to put a bullet in your brain like you would have done to me."

Amy looked up at Adam hesitantly, gaze flickering nervously as she looked at the gun still pointed at her before moving back to his wild eyes. When she didn't say anything, he raised his eyebrows, beginning to push down on the trigger. "Wait!" she said as she quickly raised her hands, causing Adam to stop. "If you shoot me, you won't be able to find the girl."

Adam laughed quietly and shook his head. "Nice try," he replied with a smile. "But I don't necessarily need you. I'm sure one Matt Hardy could be... convinced to answer my questions." The alarmed look on Amy's face didn't go unnoticed. "I told you I knew you weren't working alone. Game's over, sweetheart."

"It wasn't Matt."

His eyes narrowing slightly with confusion, Adam looked over his shoulder at Jay, who had successfully gotten his hands untied and was now sitting up behind him. "What do you..."

"At least, not really," Jay continued quietly as he shook his head slightly. "Yeah, Matt came to our room and attacked me before bringing me down here, but yet it wasn't Matt. He wasn't himself, almost as if he was a completely different person. He called himself Matthew..."

"Matthew..." Adam muttered, looking down at the weapon in his hand thoughtfully. He thought about all the headaches the older Hardy had been getting. He remembered how Matt had been acting strange at the super show when he had suddenly disregarded the script and attacked Drew, the dark look he had given him after he had pushed him away and when he had talked to him in the hospital waiting room, though they had seemed to be the eyes of a completely different person that were looking at him...

_"Before... the hotel incident, I know you and Drew were having a pretty intense feud."_

Adam took a deep breath when he remembered what John had said about Matt and Drew's feud at the bar the night before everything started, able to see each shot to the head he had received in his mind. He then glanced over his shoulder, looking at his reflection carefully in the darkened mirror for a long moment. Then, a quiet laugh escaped from him as he shook his head. "Wow..."

"What?" Jay asked, looking at his best friend with confusion.

"Matthew," Adam answered as he got to his feet, but he still made sure the gun was pointed at Amy. "You said that he was the one who attacked you?"

Jay nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "But as I said, Matt wasn't acting like himself..."

"Exactly." Adam's eyes narrowed slightly. "Because as you said, it wasn't Matt. It was Matthew."

"I don't..." Jay's sentence slowly trailed off as he looked up at the other man, suddenly understanding what he was implying. "They're two different people." Adam nodded.

"Wait," Amy muttered, slowly swimming up to the edge of the pool. "So you're saying that Matthew isn't Matt?"

"Yes," Adam told her, noticing her confusion. "Come on, Ames, you have to know about multiple personalities."

Amy's eyes widened slightly as she thought over what Adam was saying. "Matt... Matthew..." she whispered. "Two different people, one body..."

"So, Matt really isn't behind any of this." Jay looked from Adam to Amy and back. "He truly has no idea about taking Lexie or attacking the rest of us... It's Matthew."

"And judging by how he just almost killed you to get to me, Matthew's winning," Adam told them grimly. "I'm willing to bet that Matt never helped Shane at all. It was Matthew all along. He probably came out at certain times to do what needed to be done, and Matt has no recollection."

"But how did this happen?" Amy wondered. "Something like this doesn't come along randomly, does it?"

Adam shook his head. "No, not usually. Most of the time, it results from some sort of trauma," he explained. "I can't say for certain because I'm not in Matthew's head, but I'd say it's a safe bet that he surfaced due to the head injuries that Matt got during his feud with Drew."

"But why take Lexie?" Jay pressed. "She had no part in any of this..."

"It could have been a cover up," Adam suggested with a shrug. "Keep us all distracted while he took us out one by one. Finish what Shane started."

Jay sighed as he turned to look down at Amy. "You didn't know Matt was a multiple personality?" he asked.

Amy shook her head. "No, I had no idea," she answered truthfully. "I thought he was just going with the plan that he... or I guess Matthew... set in place around you guys. I didn't know I was dealing with two different people. But that would explain it..." That had been why he had been acting differently around her when she had run into him in the hallway.

"Well, regardless, we have to stop Matthew," Adam said, turning his attention to Amy. "Did he tell you where he was going?"

"No," Amy told him. "I have no idea where he went. But... I can bring you to the girl." She knew there were going to be consequences, but the madness had to end. Their young hostage had no part in what was happening.

Adam and Jay exchanged glances, seeming to come to a silent conclusion. The former reached down and grabbed Amy's arm, pulling her out of the pool and putting the barrel of the gun against her side.

"Listen up, sweetheart," he muttered, leaning close to her face. "You will bring us to Lexie. No funny business. Otherwise, you'll find one of _these_..." He paused, moving the gun a bit for emphasis, "in the back of your skull. Understood?"

Amy glared at him but didn't say a word. Adam waited for a moment before a small smile appeared on his face.

"Glad we're on the same page. Now, be a good girl so we don't have any problems."

"Go to hell," Amy muttered to herself, pulling her arm out of his grasp as she walked toward the pool door.

Adam laughed quietly as he watched her. "Not in a good mood, now are we?" he said. When she only acknowledged his comment with the middle finger, Adam smirked and turned to his best friend. "Get Phil and tell him to meet us in the lobby." Then, he quickly followed Amy out into the hallway, concealing the weapon as best as he could under his light sweater as he caught up with her while Jay hurried ahead to go upstairs.

They walked side by side to the lobby, Amy glumly sitting on the steps while Adam stayed standing next to her. There was a tense silence hanging over them before Adam sighed. "Sorry about pushing you into the pool."

"No, you're not," Amy replied with a slight laugh, finally looking up at him. "I know you better than that."

"True, that was fun," Adam agreed with a small smile. Then, he sighed as he sat down next to her. "Would you really have shot me if you had the chance?"

"Would you?"

Adam expected her question, but it was one he couldn't find an easy answer for. He glanced down at the weapon he was hiding before looking back into Amy's face. "I guess that remains to be seen," he murmured.

Amy looked at him for a long moment, sighing as she dropped her gaze. Adam looked at her curiously. "Are you okay?" he asked

"I guess," Amy answered. "It's just... I thought I had finally gotten my relationship back with Matt. But it was Matthew... Granted, I really wasn't happy, and I guess that explains everything, but... I can't even describe..."

"You don't have to," Adam told her, placing his hand on her arm. "I know it's difficult. We're still trying to wrap our minds around it."

Amy sighed and looked back up at him, but before she could say anything more, they both looked behind them when they heard quick footsteps approaching. Jay came down the stairs to them with Phil, the latter looking anxious.

"You... You helped take my daughter?" Phil demanded angrily.

"Phil, I'm sorry..." Amy began as she slowly started to get to her feet.

But for the Straightedge Superstar, a simple "I'm sorry" was much too little much too late, and he lunged at her. Jay stepped in front of him to restrain him while Adam jumped to his feet and stood in front of Amy, who stumbled back, to keep a violent fight from breaking out.

"Calm down, Phil," Adam muttered, moving his light sweater aside to show him the concealed gun. But the slightly suspicious look the other man gave him didn't go unnoticed. "I've got it under control. She's going to bring us to Lexie."

After a moment, Phil took a deep breath as he slowly nodded. "Okay... okay..." he muttered, watching as Jay lowered his arm before moving his gaze to Amy. "Just know this is something I don't know if I can forgive you for..."

"I understand," Amy whispered, not able to meet his gaze.

Adam sighed. "Let's just go get Lexie so we can focus on the real problem at hand." When no one objected, he turned to Amy. "Lead the way."

Amy looked at him for a moment, glancing at Phil hesitantly before she walked past him and began to climb the stairs toward the second floor. Shocked, Adam exchanged confused looks with Jay and Phil.

"Where are you going, Amy?" he asked. "You're supposed to be taking us to Lexie."

"I am," Amy answered as she stopped and turned back to look at him. "Now are you coming or not?"

Adam nodded, and he began to walk after her with Jay and Phil close behind. Amy led them up a few more flights of stairs, coming to a stop on the top floor with only one room on it at the other end of the hall. She walked forward, pulling a key out of her pocket as she unlocked the door. Sighing, she closed her eyes and leaned against it for a moment before turning to look at the three men behind her. "This is where we keep her," she told them.

Phil shook his head as he slowly walked forward, staring at the door in shock. "She was here... the whole time..." Then, he ran the rest of the way, pushing past Amy as he opened the door. "Lexie!"

But he stopped as soon as he entered the room, seeing a single chair and a couple stuffed animals on the floor. Amy came in behind him with Adam and Jay, and their eyes widened as they looked around.

Lexie was nowhere to be seen.

**Author's Note**: Can't make it that easy, can I? Lol! Hope they find her soon! And I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Thank you for all the response of the last chapter. Greatly appreciated! Thank you to **Vampirebaby13**, **vampiregirl2009 Wolfgirl77769** (Yep! They announced this on their Twitters. May have to include it in the story), **jcott3**, **myers1978**, **stephiexo95**, **x0allisonqt0x**, and **ThePinkyPop** for your reviews! Love them! So, now we have Matt/Matthew and Amy. The question now is... Who's next? Keep reading to find out...

_Chapter 11_

Matthew sat behind the wheel of his dark car, drumming the wheel impatiently as he glanced down at his cell phone to check the time. It had been almost fifteen minutes, and there was still no sign of his friend with the girl. He knew getting out of the hotel was going to be difficult without being seen, but it shouldn't have taken him that long.

He opened his phone to look for his number, but before he could, Matthew saw the door of the hotel open as his friend hurried out. He was wearing a hood over his head, holding a crying Lexie in his arms.

"About time," Matthew muttered as he stepped out of the car. "What took you so long?"

The other man stopped in front of him, sighing as he looked down at the screaming girl in his arms. "Do you see this?" he asked him, lifting her up a bit for emphasis. "With the way she's crying, it was almost impossible to get her out of there without being seen."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Give me the girl," he told him. "You start the car."

Sighing with relief, his friend gladly handed Lexie to him and ran to get in the driver's seat. As the car started, Matthew opened the back door to put the girl in, but he paused when she grabbed onto his leather jacket.

"Why you being mean, Matt?" Lexie asked through her tears.

Matthew smirked, and Lexie whimpered when she saw the dark look in his eyes. "I'm not Matt," he answered quietly, setting her down and putting on her seatbelt in an almost restraining way before shutting the door. He then climbed into the passenger seat, smiling when he saw his friend had lowered his hood.

"Ready?" he asked him.

The other man turned to look at him, a similar smile appearing on the face of Shane Helms. "What about Amy?" he wondered.

Matthew sighed as he looked up at the hotel. "We'll see if she pulled through with her end of the plan this time," he told him, pulling out his cell phone. "Meanwhile, let's drive around a little while we wait for her before getting a new hideout. We don't want to risk being seen. Plus, the girl's crying is going to drive me crazy."

"Sounds good to me," Shane agreed. He backed out of the spot, turning up the radio a little bit before speeding out of the lot.

* * *

Phil stared in horror at the empty room for a moment longer before taking a couple steps forward and picking up the stuffed wolf. "Lexie..." he whispered. Then, he threw it back to the floor before angrily turning on Amy, grabbing her arms and pushing her against the wall behind her. "Where is she?"

"I... I don't know," Amy stuttered in protest. "All I knew was Matthew was leaving. He didn't tell me he was taking the girl."

"Phil," Adam muttered, putting a restraining hand on his shoulder.

But the Straightedge Superstar ignored him. "How can you not know?" Phil demanded. "You're one of the people who took her!"

"Watching her wasn't my job!" Amy told him, a thin line of tears in her eyes. "If it was, you would have her back right now. My job was to..."

"To what?" Jay asked when her sentence trailed off.

Adam sighed, running his hand through his hair. "To kill me," he quietly finished for her, looking up at Amy. "But why?"

Amy bit her bottom lip as she took a deep breath. "I was a spy for Matthew," she explained. "My job was to keep an eye on all of you to make sure you didn't find out about his plan. Matthew thought you knew about him, Adam, that's why he wanted you out of the way. And... he thought I could get closer to you than he could, so..." She sighed, looking away from them. "The pool was my last chance. I had gotten some more of what I put in your coffee on Matthew's suggestion, but I threw it away before we went to the hospital for Drew. I couldn't... He was disappointed in me. So, he took Jay to set the trap for you, and I was supposed to finish the job..."

"But... you didn't," Phil said, finally releasing his hold on her arms. "So, what happens now?"

"I don't know," Amy muttered as she shook her head. "He mentioned something about consequences. That could be anything..."

Jay looked at her thoughtfully. "You said it was your job to keep an eye on us. You were around us almost all the time, as was Matt. Who was watching Lexie?"

Amy brushed some hair out of her face. "One of our friends," she told him. "I'm sure Matthew left with him if Lexie's gone."

Then, she gasped when Adam stepped in front of her, looking at her intently. "Who is it, Amy?" he asked quietly. "Who else is helping you?" He sighed when she shook her head. "Come on. You said if you were watching Lexie, we would have her back. That to me says you at least care about her a little. If not for us, do it for her. Who has Lexie now?"

Thinking over her options, Amy lowered her gaze from his. "I want to tell you," she muttered. "But..."

"So tell me." Adam placed his hand on her arm. "This is your chance to help us get Lexie back, Amy. Who has her?"

Amy slowly looked back up at him for a long moment before she sighed. "Can I use your cell? It wasn't in your pocket when you jumped in the pool, was it?"

"Uh... no it wasn't. I left it back at the room before we went to the pool. Why?" Adam wondered with confusion, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sure Matthew's going to try calling me to make sure I... well, finished the job," Amy told him. "I want to call him first to tell him how it went before he gets too concerned about why he can't reach me. It would make some sense that I'd use your phone. Obviously, my cell is ruined from being water-logged..."

Adam smirked to himself, but then he nodded. "Sure," he finally replied. "Come on. Let's go get it."

Amy smiled slightly. "Thanks, Adam." Then, she turned and left the room.

"Here," Adam muttered, pulling the gun out of his sweatshirt and placing it on the only chair in the room, Phil eyeing it closely, before looking at his best friend. "Don't want to take any chances."

"I don't blame you," Jay said. "Don't worry. We'll keep an eye on it."

Adam smiled at him. "Had no doubt in my mind, Jay." Then, he began to walk for the door, but he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not let Amy out of your sight," Phil told him quietly. "She is the only one we have that is tied to my daughter."

"I won't, Phil," Adam assured him, turning and leaving the room to go after Amy.

She was waiting for him at the base of the steps, her arms crossed. "I thought you were never going to come down," Amy said with slight irritation.

Adam stopped next to her, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't know you missed me that much," he replied jokingly.

Amy rolled her eyes as she continued to walk down the next flight of stairs, Adam laughing quietly as he followed after her. They made it down to the floor the room was on, and Adam unlocked the door and pushed it open, Amy following him inside. He walked over to the bed and sat down, taking a deep breath as he leaned forward. Amy slowly sat down next to him, concern crossing her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Adam answered quietly, looking back at her with a small smile. "Whatever you put in my coffee has pretty much left my system, but I'm just feeling weak from it, you know? Nothing too serious..."

Amy sighed, cautiously reaching forward and wrapping her hand around his. She saw Adam's eyes move to her suspiciously, but she ignored the look. "I... I am really sorry about that," she muttered, not able to meet his gaze. "If I could have gone without hurting you..."

Adam looked at her for a long moment before looking away. "You wanted to use my phone?" he reminded her.

"Uh... yeah, that'd be good," Amy replied, letting go of his hand as she laughed a little. Adam reached over and picked it up off the small table next to the bed, handing it to her. She stood up, going through his contacts and finding Matt's number. Sighing, she called it and waited. "He's not going to answer because it's you're number..."

"Leave a message?" Adam suggested, looking up at her.

"That's what I'm going to-!" Amy paused for a minute. "Hey, Matt, it's Amy. This was the only phone I could use. Call me back. It's done." Then, she ended the call.

Adam smiled slightly as she handed his phone back to him, setting it back on the table while Amy sat back down next to him. "It's done?" he asked.

Amy looked back at him with a sigh. "Yeah. Killing you," she answered quietly.

"I'm not..." Adam began to answer, but then he sighed. "So that's why... Well, Amy, you have the perfect opportunity. You have me alone, I probably couldn't put up much of a fight right now, and I'm unarmed. Go ahead. Just-!"

"No, Adam, I'm not going to kill you," Amy interrupted, biting her bottom lip. "If I could, you would be dead by now."

Surprised, Adam looked back at her. But before he could say a word, Amy moved closer to him. "You don't understand," she murmured, her lips lingering close to his. "You probably never will..."

Adam watched her carefully. "I would if you explained it to me."

Amy met his gaze, giving him a sad, almost resigned smile before she slowly leaned toward him. "I can't," she whispered, closing her eyes as she continued to get closer. Adam did the same when he felt her lips brush against his, but she pulled away when his cell phone began to ring. Sighing, she reached around him and picked it up, seeing Matt's name flashing on the screen.

"It's him," she muttered as she stood up again and answered the call. "Amy."

_"Is Adam dead?"_

Amy sighed at the immediate question. She turned to look at Adam, signaling for him to stay silent. "Yes," she finally answered quietly, hoping her tone wouldn't betray her. "Adam's dead."

_"Good. I know how hard that must have been for you, sweetheart," _Matthew muttered. _"But how come I can't reach you on your cell?"_

"Oh, it got some water on it, that's all," Amy replied. "Hopefully it'll be fixed soon."

There was a slight pause on the other end. _"I hope so too," _Matthew said. _"Well, listen. Since that is finally finished, Shane and I are on the way back to the hotel to pick you up. Be waiting outside. We want to leave right away."_

"Okay, see you soon," Amy told him. "Bye." Then, she ended the call and handed the phone back to Adam. "I have to go. They're going to be here in a little bit."

"Wait," Adam muttered, getting to his feet and putting his phone in his pocket. "We need to tell Jay and Phil what's going on."

"I really need to go, Adam," Amy said.

"Yeah, but if we don't get back upstairs or if I go without you, they're going to think something's wrong," Adam replied. "We need to go up there together."

Amy looked at him for a long moment, debating her options, before she nodded. "Okay, let's just make this as fast as possible," she muttered.

They both left Adam's room, walking as quickly as possible as they headed up the next flight of stairs to get to the top floor. Amy walked a couple steps behind him, thinking carefully before she paused. "Hey, Adam?"

"Yeah?" Adam stopped, looking back at her.

Amy met his gaze. "About back at the room before Matthew called..."

Adam sighed. "Well, I will say that I'd rather have you try kissing me than killing me," he told her. "But, Amy, I've moved o-!"

"I know," Amy muttered, walking past him up the stairs. Adam watched her for a long moment, running his hand through his hair before he continued after her.

They reached the room on the top floor, Amy pushing open the door with Adam behind her. "Hey," Jay said, walking over to meet them with Phil. "How'd it go?"

"Matthew called me back," Amy explained. "I have to go outside to wait for them. They'll be here soon to pick me up."

But she gasped quietly when Phil roughly grabbed her arm. "Oh, no, you don't," he muttered, pulling Amy toward him. "You're not leaving us here. They're coming back here with my daughter, and I'm going to get her back."

"Wait a minute, Phil," Jay spoke up. "Think about this. What if they don't have Lexie with them when they come back for Amy?"

"And besides, Matthew's dangerous," Adam added. "Do you really want to take a chance with your daughter? We need to come up with some sort of plan." He glanced at Amy. "One where we could use some inside help."

But Phil only laughed at them. "You really expect me to trust Lexie's safety with _her_?"

"What other choice do we have?" Jay asked.

"Please, Phil, they're right," Amy muttered, trying to pry his hand off her arm. "I... I'll help you. Let me go with them and get to wherever we're going. I'll let you know where it is, and you can get the police or whatever and come for her."

Phil shook his head. "I don't like this..." he began.

"But Jay's right, Phil. What other choice do we have?" Adam said quietly. "If we all go out there now to try to stop Matthew, someone's going to get hurt. For all of us, this is the safest way."

"All right," Phil finally agreed hesitantly, turning his gaze to Amy as he tightened his hold on her arm. "But if I suspect you are putting my daughter in more danger in _any_ way, I will hunt you down. Do you understand?"

Amy nodded, rubbing her arm when Phil finally released it. She turned to walk out of the room, but was once again stopped, this time by Adam. "They're going to be here soon, and I have to be outside," she told him.

"I know," Adam replied. "But I think we would all feel better if we knew for sure you were on our side. To do that, tell us who the third person working with you is."

Sighing, Amy looked over her shoulder at him. "You're not going to believe me," she muttered.

Adam smirked at her. "Try me."

Amy's eyes lingered on his face for a moment longer before she dropped her gaze. "It's... Shane Helms."

* * *

Jeff hurried down the hallway, sighing as he ended the call on his cell phone and put it back in his pocket. It had been the third time he had tried calling Matt, and for the third time, he had gotten his voicemail. It wasn't like his brother to leave without letting him know where he was going or at least answer his phone, and after finding strands of his hair in the sink and the cracked hand mirror he was carrying with him now, not being able to reach him only fueled his bad feeling.

He turned the corner to head toward the stairs, but the younger Hardy stopped when he nearly ran into someone. "Oh, hey, Maria."

Maria smiled. "Hey, Jeff," she replied, giving him a quick hug. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Well, I was hoping to find Matt," Jeff told her. "He's not answering his phone either... You haven't seen him around anywhere, have you?"

"No," Maria muttered as she shook her head, concern crossing her face. "Why, is something wrong?"

Jeff sighed as he shrugged. "I don't know," he said honestly. "I just have a bad feeling."

Maria looked at him sadly as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Well, I'll let you know if I see him," she replied. "I hope everything's okay..."

"Thanks, Maria," Jeff told her with a slight smile as he sighed. "I hope so too."

* * *

Shane glanced at Matthew, who was sitting silent in the seat next to him as his phone stopped ringing again. "That's the third time someone's tried calling you, Man," he said. "Who is it?"

Matthew pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, looking at the number of the missed call. "Jeff," he replied, putting it away again. "He's probably concerned..."

Sighing sadly at the thought of one of the men he had used to call a good friend, Shane turned back to the road ahead of him. "So, at least Adam's dead this time, right?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

But Matthew slowly shook his head. "Adam isn't dead," he answered quietly.

"What do you mean Adam's not dead?" Shane looked back at Matthew with confusion. "Amy said-!"

"Well, what Amy says and what Amy does are two completely different things, Shane," Matthew interrupted with irritation. "If she actually had any intention of killing Adam, he would be dead by now. You know that. Something's been stopping her, and I'm sure it stopped her this time too."

"Do you have any idea what that is?" Shane asked hesitantly.

Matthew was silent for a long minute, simply staring out the window as his friend turned onto the street that would bring them to the hotel. "I have an idea."

* * *

"How the hell can Shane Helms be alive?" Jay asked as he left the room after Amy and Adam. He watched as his best friend continued down the stairs with the woman, sighing as he stopped and waited for Phil to leave.

The Straightedge Superstar came out a minute later, zipping up his sweatshirt. "What'd you say, Man?" he wondered.

Jay inwardly rolled his eyes. "I asked how Shane Helms could still be alive," he muttered. "When I was bringing Adam out of that hotel... I saw him, Phil. He looked dead to me."

Phil nodded. "I know, I saw him too," he replied. "I don't know how he's still alive. Maybe it's something Amy can give us some information on."

"Yeah, maybe," Jay agreed. Then, his eyes narrowed slightly. "What took you so long in there?"

"Oh. Uh, nothing," Phil told him with a small smile. "I just... It's hard thinking that Lexie was here the whole time... And we never knew."

Jay sighed as he looked at his friend. "I know," he said. "But we have Amy now. We're going to get Lexie back."

Phil gave him a small smile. "Yeah." He gestured to the stairs. "Should we get going?"

Nodding, Jay led the way down the stairs, seeing Amy and Adam were already standing in the lobby waiting for them.

"All right, Matthew's going to be here any minute," Amy told them when they approached. "I need to get out there to wait for him, but I will let you know where we are when I get the chance."

"Sounds good, Ames," Adam said, a half-smile appearing on his face. "Thank you for agreeing to help."

Amy looked back up at him, shaking her head slightly. "Don't thank me until you have Lexie," she muttered before she turned and pushed open the front door of the hotel, walking out into the night.

Adam watched her leave, sighing as he looked down at the ground for a minute before making up his mind. "I'll be right back," he said, glancing at Jay before he walked out into the night after Amy. He had some unanswered questions left. He looked around as he stepped outside, trying to find any sign of the woman. Then, he noticed her walking toward the street in front of the hotel out of the corner of his eye, and he began to hurry after her. "Amy! Amy, wait!"

"Just leave me alone, Adam," Amy whispered to herself as she walked further away from the hotel. It was hard enough just to imagine having to go through with killing him. If he stayed away from her, he could live.

But she sighed when she was stopped by a strong hand grabbing her arm from behind, and she turned around to face him. "What?" she demanded, trying to ignore the thin line of tears forming in her eyes.

Adam looked back at her with determination. "Why did you tell Matthew I was dead?" he asked.

"Because you're supposed to be," Amy snapped, trying to get her arm free without success. "And I suggest if you don't want to really die, you get the hell away from me before he gets here. You're only alive right now because-!"

"Because why, Amy?" Adam interrupted, slight irritation in his tone. "You say I'm supposed to be dead, and you were going to tell me more back in the room. Why aren't I? What's stopping you?"

Amy looked up into his blue eyes for a long moment before she sighed, dropping her gaze as her shoulders slumped. "Because I..." she whispered, not able to finish.

Adam's eyes softened as he looked at her, slowly releasing her arm. "Because why?"

Taking a deep breath, Amy slowly looked back up at him, eyes filled with tears. Instead of answering, she took a couple steps closer to him so there was hardly any space left between them. He watched as she reached up and gently brushed some of his blond hair away from his face, allowing her to slowly pull him into a kiss. A single tear fell from her eye as his lips moved along with hers, and she brought him closer so there was no space separating them as he lightly placed his hands on her waist. At least she could have this one last moment with him...

Then, she gasped and broke the kiss when she heard a car door slam from across the street, and she quickly looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened with horror when she saw Matthew staring back at her, shock in his dark eyes. Whether he was surprised that Adam was still alive or that she was kissing him, she didn't know. But his shock was quickly replaced with anger as he began to walk toward them, reaching into his leather jacket.

Adam quickly pushed Amy away from him when he saw Matthew pull out a handgun, hoping to keep his attention off of her. He knew the other man wanted him dead, and he stared into Matthew's furious eyes as he raised the weapon and aimed it directly at his chest. There was a tense moment that seemed to drag on forever to Adam before he closed his eyes as a loud gunshot echoed in the night air just as a pair of arms wrapped tightly around him.

The pain he expected to feel from the bullet tearing into his chest never came. Instead, he heard a quiet whimper of pain as the arms around him loosened, and Adam slowly opened his eyes. He gasped with horror when he saw Amy looking up at him with distant eyes, her face deathly pale as she collapsed to the ground.

"_Amy_!" Adam dropped down next to her, wrapping his arm around her back to support her while her head rested on his shoulder. "Amy, are you..."

But his sentence slowly trailed off when he slowly looked down at his hand. He was horrified to see that his fingers were stained with her blood.

"Why did you do that, Amy?" Adam demanded frantically when he felt that she was having a hard time breathing. "It was supposed to be me... It wasn't meant for you..."

"I... know..." Amy gasped, a small smile appearing on her face. "It's... okay..."

Adam knew it wasn't okay since he could almost see her life slipping away. "Amy, just... just hang on," he told her, brushing some red hair out of her face. "Stay with me, okay?"

Amy struggled to take another breath before coughing a little, raising her hand and lightly resting it on his cheek. "I'm... sorry..." she whispered. "Thank you... Adam..." Then, she closed her eyes as her arm fell to the ground, her body going limp in his arms.

Panic rushed through Adam as he looked down at her. "Amy?" He placed his hand on her cheek, leaning down and putting his ear close to her mouth. But he quickly straightened up when he felt that she was no longer breathing. "Amy, no... Please... Amy!" But he knew it wouldn't matter how much he pleaded with her. Amy had died to save him.

Then, Adam quickly looked up when he felt someone stop in front of him, and he found himself facing the barrel of Matthew's handgun since it was aimed directly at his forehead. He moved his gaze to the other man's dark eyes, seeing there was nothing in them but hatred as he looked back down at him. Adam slowly set Amy's body on the ground, keeping his eyes on the other man intently.

A small smirk appeared on Matthew's face, seeming to enjoy holding another man's life in his hands. He placed his finger on the trigger, and Adam took a deep breath when he saw him slowly starting to pull back on it. He was going to die...

But then, Matthew quickly looked up at the hotel when he heard footsteps approaching, lowering the gun slightly. Adam turned to look over his shoulder, seeing that Jay and Phil had run outside, looking at the other man in horror. They must have heard the first gunshot.

"Adam!" Jay shouted anxiously. "Matthew, stop!"

Then, the car that Matthew had left across the street pulled around to the side they were on, and the driver pushed the passenger door open.

"Come on, Man!" Shane told Matthew impatiently. "We have to go now!"

Matthew glared at the other three men as he took a couple of steps back to go to the car. Adam started to get to his feet, but he cried out with pain when Matthew suddenly fired his gun at him as he ran toward Shane, the bullet tearing into his upper chest by his shoulder as he collapsed back to the ground.

"Adam!" Jay ran over to his best friend while Matthew hurried to the car, climbing into the passenger seat. Phil began to go toward his friends, but then he stopped when he noticed someone in the backseat looking at him through the window.

"Lexie!" Phil reached into his sweatshirt and began to run toward the car as it took off, chasing after it until it sped around the corner out of sight. He cried out with frustration as he ran his hand through his hair. He had been so close to his daughter. If only he had noticed her sooner...

Jay anxiously looked down at Adam as his face contorted into a look of pain, and he put his hand on his arm securely. "Hold on, Adam," he told him, smiling slightly when the other man's eyes slowly fluttered open.

Adam nodded. "I'll be... fine..." he replied quietly, gasping for breath. "Don't worry..."

"Hang in there," Jay muttered sadly, seeing the obvious pain he was in. Not worrying about him was going to be easier said than done. He would have taken off his light sweatshirt to try to slow the bleeding on Adam's chest, but it was damp from nearly drowning in the hotel pool and the chlorine would do more harm than good.

The Rated R Superstar looked up at his best friend, trying to hold onto his consciousness as he fought the darkness that threatened to overtake him. "Jay..."

"Stay with me, Adam," Jay replied anxiously, tightening his hand on his arm. "Stay awake, okay? Stay awake."

Phil slowly walked back over to where Jay and Adam were, his eyes narrowing slightly when they landed on Amy's body. Then, he knelt down next to Adam across from Jay, looking at him with concern. "Hanging in there?"

Adam slowly turned to look at Phil, nodding as he took a few quick breaths. "Yeah..."

"Can I have your sweater, Phil?" Jay asked, looking up at the Straightedge Superstar. "We need to slow down the bleeding, and mine will probably only make it worse."

"Sure..." Phil answered, a little hesitantly. Jay watched as he unzipped his sweatshirt, shifting something underneath it before he handed it to him. "You work on that, and I'll call for an ambulance."

Jay slowly nodded as he bunched up the sweatshirt, his eyes not leaving Adam's pale face as Phil got to his feet and quickly took out his phone. Adam's gaze was dimming, and his breath was starting to come more unevenly. Sighing, he reached forward and placed Phil's sweater on his shoulder, pressing firmly down on the wound.

Adam's face grew drastically paler as he closed his eyes and bit down hard on his bottom lip, holding back a cry as he unconsciously tried to sit up because of the pain. "Hey, take it easy," Jay cautioned, putting his hand on his other shoulder to stop him. "Lie back down."

After a moment, Adam slumped back to the ground, gasping for breath. Jay looked at him sadly, placing his hand on his tensed side. "It'll be okay," he told him, trying to fight back his own fear as he tried to reassure the man he considered his brother. "Just stay awake, okay?"

Adam took a few more deep breaths, keeping his eyes closed as he nodded. "Okay, Jay..."

"The ambulance is on its way," Phil told his friends as he came back to them, Jay glancing up at him and noticing something under his t-shirt. "How are you doing, Adam?" But his eyes narrowed with concern when he didn't get a response. "Adam?"

Jay turned his attention back to his best friend and quickly leaned forward. "Adam?" he asked anxiously, placing his hand on his uninjured shoulder and shaking him gently. "Adam?"

After a moment, the other man's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Sorry, Jay..." he muttered.

"Don't apologize," Jay told him with a small smile when he watched his best friend's eyes land on his face. "Just stay with me, okay?"

Then, Jay and Phil both let out sighs of relief when they heard the life-saving sirens, knowing that the ambulance was getting closer. "Hold on for a couple more minutes, Adam," the Straightedge Superstar said. "Help will be here soon."

Adam laughed a little. "I know. I hear it..." he replied.

Jay smiled slightly, glad to see that his best friend was at least a bit more responsive and wasn't planning on giving up. But then, as the ambulance pulled in the parking lot, his gaze saddened when he saw that Adam's hand was resting on Amy's arm.

**Author's Note**: I realize there are a lot more unanswered questions now, lol. How did Helms survive? That'll be coming up next. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to **jcott3**, **Sofa King We Todd Did**, **Mattaggot**, **Renna33**, **stephiexo95**, and **x0allisonqt0x** for your reviews for the last chapter! Yep, Shane Helms is alive. This chapter is going to be more of a transitional/explanatory chapter to answer most of the questions from the last chapter. Enjoy!

_Chapter 12_

Taryn gasped loudly as she quickly sat up on the cot the nurse had set up for her, not able to see anything around her in the dark room as tears rolled down her cheeks. Then, she flinched when she felt a pair of arms wrap securely around her.

"It's okay, Taryn," a calming, familiar voice said quietly, close to her ear. "It's okay."

Not able to stop the nearly silent sob that escaped from her, Taryn wound her arms around the man as she took a deep, shuddering breath. "I had this... terrible dream," she whispered, burying her face in his chest. "Drew didn't... didn't wake up, and..."

"It was just a dream, Taryn, it's okay," the man gently repeated, his calm tone comforting.

After a moment, Taryn got her tears under control. "What are you doing here, Jay?" she asked, keeping her arms around him as she wiped at her eyes.

Jay gave her a small smile as he pulled away a little. "Well, I'm here for Adam, but I thought I'd check up on you since he's in surgery," he answered, the worry for his best friend clear though he tried to hide it as he brushed a couple stray strands of blonde hair behind her ear.

Taryn looked at him with surprise. "Adam's in surgery?" she repeated. "Is he okay? What happened?"

"The doctors assured us he should be fine," Jay told her with a sigh. "We found out who's behind Lexie's kidnapping and all the attacks... One of them shot Adam."

"You know who did this?" Taryn looked at him with shock. "Jay... who is it?"

Jay sighed as he let go of Taryn, running his hand through his hair. "Amy was one of them," he muttered. "She was going to help us get Lexie back... but she was killed. I don't know how, but Shane Helms is a part of this. And... Matthew. He seems to be the one in charge. We think he's the one that took you and attacked Drew..."

Taryn stared at Jay with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape. "You're telling me... _Amy_ was partly responsible for this? And... Shane! How the hell... Matthew? _Our _Matthew? _Matt_ did this to Drew?"

"No, not Matt," Jay said, placing his hand on her arm. "Matthew. He's not the same person."

"You've lost me, Jay," Taryn muttered, calming down slightly as confusion crossed her face.

Jay sighed. "Matt's a multiple personality," he explained. "We have our Matt, who wouldn't hurt anyone... and then there's Matthew, who's the exact opposite. We're thinking he was the one who helped Shane McMahon all along, not Matt. As for Shane Helms... we're wondering about him ourselves."

Taryn slowly shook her head. "A multiple personality?" she repeated quietly. "Do you know how that happened? As long as I've known Matt, he's been fine..."

There was clear hesitance on Jay's face. "We don't know for sure, but Adam and I are assuming Matthew surfaced due to the head trauma he received from his feud with Drew..."

Her breath caught in her chest as Taryn thought over Jay's words, but the incident at the arena suddenly started to make sense to her. "That... that's why he used the steel steps to attack him..." she said, running her hand through her hair. "Oh, God..." Then, she sighed. "I haven't told anyone this, Jay, but Matthew was going to shoot Drew. I put myself over him, pleading with him not to. Then, he hesitated and ran... Do you think Matt slipped through to stop him?"

Jay shrugged. "He very well could have surfaced long enough to stop Matthew from shooting you," he replied. "Or at least was able to influence him enough to make him leave."

Taryn nodded before she rested her head on Jay's shoulder. "I can't believe this is happening..." she whispered, grateful when he wrapped his arms around her. "What are we going to do about Matthew? If we hurt him... we hurt Matt."

It was a fear Jay hadn't wanted to voice, but it was one that was prominent in his mind. Matt had been a close friend of his for years, and the last thing he wanted to do was risk hurting him. But in order to stop Matthew so no one else would die and they could get Lexie back, it was one they had to take.

"I don't know," he finally muttered with a sigh. "I don't know."

Taryn sighed as well, closing her eyes. "Hey, Jay?" she asked.

"Yeah?" Jay looked down at her.

"Would you... stay with me for a little bit?" Taryn wondered in quietly. "After that nightmare..."

Smiling slightly, Jay nodded as he tightened his arm around her. "Sure, Taryn. I understand," he told her. "Of course I'll stay."

* * *

_"Thank you for agreeing to help, Shane," Shane McMahon said with a slight smirk, holding his hand out to him. "Like the rest of us, I know you're frustrated with how far you've fallen in this company."_

_Shane Helms returned the smirk as he shook the younger McMahon's hand. "You've got that right," he agreed. "We deserve more... So, what do you want me to do?"_

_"Right now... nothing much," Shane told him. "Keep an eye on the rest of the guests to make sure they don't catch on to us. That Evan kid and I will set up the bomb."_

_"Sounds good to me."_

* * *

_"Evan's dead and Jay's been discovered... We're running out of people," Matthew muttered as he met with Shane Helms in one of the demolished hallways. "If you, me, and McMahon are found..."_

_"We won't be," Shane tried to assure him. "One of us has to make sure to avoid suspicion."_

_Matthew nodded. "Do you have any ideas?" he wondered._

_Shane smirked. "Yeah, I have an idea."_

* * *

_Shane Helms put a look of fear on his face as he stared down Matthew, who had a piece of concrete in his hand. He noticed Jeff watching them with shock out of the corner of his eye, and even though he felt a little bad about betraying the younger Hardy, he knew this had to be done._

_When the hotel shook a little as something deeper inside of it fell, he quickly raised his right wrist and ran it over his throat, feeling the small razor blade he had hidden inside his wrist band make a cut. Matthew stumbled forward with the piece of concrete, pulling back slightly before it went into his skin so it only grazed him as he fell to the ground, making sure it still rested on his neck to cast the illusion it had punctured it. He made sure his breathing was very light so it wasn't noticeable, trying to keep his eyes open for as long as possible._

_But then, he noticed the change in Matthew's eyes as he suddenly looked down at him with horror, knowing that Matt had surfaced. He inwardly sighed, finding it a little frustrating that he never knew exactly which man he was going to deal with, but he figured if Matt truly showed remorse, it would help him a little since he had been discovered._

_He quickly blinked a couple times once Jeff's attention was off him and on his brother, knowing that he would have to wait for a bit longer so everyone could see he was "dead" before he tried leaving. At least now, the suspicion was off of him and he could keep the younger McMahon's plan going._

* * *

_Shane heard the doorway of one of the last two ways out of the hotel collapse, hearing the many voices and knowing he couldn't leave that way. He slowly sat up, taking off the piece of concrete and tossing it aside as he got to his feet. Everyone still alive had seen him- he was in the clear. Stretching out his muscles a bit since they were a bit sore from not using them for some time, he began to run down the hallway in the opposite direction to get to the exit he and Matthew had planned out._

_The plan had worked perfectly._

* * *

Shane Helms pulled into the parking lot of a motel, seeing by the sign they still had a vacancy, and got a parking spot near the back. He turned the car off as he glanced at Matthew in the seat beside him, sighing quietly when he saw the blank look on his face as he stared ahead of him. After what the other man had said, he hadn't been too surprised that Adam was alive, but what did shock him was Amy had been kissing him. Matthew had said he had an idea about why she hadn't been able to kill the Rated R Superstar, and clearly, she had still had feelings toward him that had stopped her. But after he had shot her when she had taken the bullet for Adam, Matthew had become a lot more withdrawn...

"Hey, Man, about Amy..." Shane cautiously began.

"Don't even," Matthew muttered, opening the car door and stepping out into the night.

Sighing, Shane did the same, seeing a light drizzle had begun. He watched as Matthew opened the back door and picked up a now sleeping Lexie into his arms, her head resting on his chest, before he shut the door and began to walk toward the motel check-in. Shane followed after him, both men entering the building and approaching the desk.

The young woman watched as they stopped in front of her, blowing a bubble with the gum she was chewing in disinterest. "How can I help you?" she asked, her tone flat.

Shane glanced at Matthew, wondering what he would tell her. Matthew stared back at the girl with dark eyes for a minute before he forced a look of sorrow to cross his face. "My brother and I need a room for a few nights," he answered, effectively sounding as though he could be on the verge of tears. "We're on our way out of town. You see, I just lost my wife, and this has been hard on my little girl... She misses her mommy. We're trying to take a family trip, but the travel is exhausting for her."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Sir," the girl said, brushing some of her red curls behind her ear as she looked at the sleeping Lexie sadly. "I'll get you a room."

"Very nice," Shane muttered as the girl turned around to look for a key.

Matthew gave him a dark glare, but he didn't have time to say anything since the girl was turning back to them.

"Here you go. Your room is right out the door and three doors down to the right," she muttered, handing Shane the key since his hands were free. "Have a good night."

"Thank you. You too," Matthew told her before he and Shane left the office to go find their room. Once they reached the door, Shane unlocked it and stepped inside, turning on the light. Matthew followed after, seeing it was a pretty small room, but it fortunately had two beds.

"We won't stay here long," Matthew muttered as he walked forward and placed Lexie down on the bed closest to them. "Just long enough to rethink our plan since Amy is no longer with us."

Shane nodded, sitting in the single chair. "Sounds good to me," he said. "What should we do with the girl? We can't just keep bringing her around everywhere..."

"No, we can't," Matthew agreed quietly, sitting down on the second bed as he ran his hand through his dark curls. "She's our leverage, but there's only so much we can do. We also need to finish what Shane started by getting rid of them."

After a moment, a smirk appeared on Shane's face as he looked at the sleeping Lexie. "My guess is most of them are at the hospital now because of what you did to Drew and now Adam," he told him. "I'm sure you could think of something there... But I have a plan for Phil."

* * *

John quickly entered the hospital waiting room, spotting Phil sitting against the back wall with his head in his hands. He hurried over and sat down next to him, placing his hand on his shoulder so he hopefully wouldn't startle him too badly. "Hey, Phil. I got your message," he said. "Is Adam okay?"

Phil didn't respond for a long moment, but then he slowly raised his head and looked at his friend through distant hazel eyes. "Doctor said he should be," he replied quietly with a sigh as he straightened up completely. "You didn't happen to see Maria on your way here, did you? I tried calling her too, but she didn't answer..."

"No, I didn't," John told him, shaking his head. "But I'm sure she'll be here soon."

"Maybe," Phil muttered. "I hope she at least listens to the message... She might still be mad." But then, he ran his hand through his dark hair. "When Adam was shot... Lexie was there. She was _so_ close, John. She was _right there._ And even when she was missing, she was in the hotel the entire time. But now... Now I have no idea where they've taken her. How can I get her back if I don't know where she is?"

John sighed, not really knowing what to say. Phil hadn't mentioned any of this when he had called him and left a message. "We'll find her somehow, Phil," he tried to assure him. "I'm sure we'll hear from them soon with another clue to lead us to her." Then, he tightened his ponytail. "I still can't believe Matt is the main person behind this... And Helms?"

Phil slowly shook his head. "Jay was explaining it to me on the way to the hospital. It's not Matt," he said. "It's Matthew. Matt's a multiple personality. Everything that's been happening lately is because of that alter ego, and Matt has no idea. As for Helms... We don't know either."

"Still," John replied. "With Matt and Matthew being in the same body, it's going to make things a bit more difficult."

"Yeah..." Phil sighed as he put his hand to his head. "I don't know what we're going to do. But somehow, I am going to find Lexie. You can count on that."

* * *

Jay left Drew's room and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door quietly behind him. He had stayed with Taryn until she had fallen asleep again since she was such a nervous wreck with her uncertainty about Drew, but he knew they had to remain positive that he would wake up.

But he had his own worries to put to rest. Jay walked down the hallway, spotting a nurse he recognized to be one that had helped Adam when they arrived at the hospital walking a small distance ahead of him, holding a clipboard in her hand. He sped up a little, placing his hand lightly on her arm. "Excuse me?" he said, stopping when she did as she looked back at him. "I was wondering if you could tell me how Adam Copeland is."

"Adam Copeland?" the nurse repeated, looking down at her clipboard and biting her bottom lip thoughtfully. "He got out of surgery an hour ago and has been moved to his own room. Should be waking up soon."

"Could I see him?" Jay asked.

The nurse looked at him for a moment, recognition in her blue eyes as she nodded. "Yes, I remember you from when he was brought in. He's in room 118. Around the corner, first one on your right."

Jay sighed with relief, a small smile appearing on his face. From what the nurse was saying, it sounded like his best friend was going to be all right. "Thank you so much," he muttered before he began to walk down the hall in the direction she pointed him in. He found room 118 and quietly pushed the door open, his eyes moving to the single bed to check on him.

But he was surprised to see that Adam was sitting up, his back to him as he looked out the window into the night. "Hey, Man, you okay?" Jay asked, shutting the door behind him before slowly starting to walk toward the bed.

Adam glanced over his shoulder at him before looking back out the window. "Fine," he answered quietly, resting his chin on his hands. "My chest and shoulder are a bit sore, but that's to be expected..."

Sighing, Jay sat down on the bed next to the other man. "What's wrong then?" he wondered.

"Nothing," Adam replied, though he didn't look back at the other man. "Nothing's wrong, Jay."

"I know you better than that, Adam," Jay muttered, placing his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Something's bothering you. You know you can trust me."

Adam sighed, dropping his gaze from the window. "I'm just thinking about Amy," he told him, his tone hardly audible. "She couldn't kill me because she still loved me, Jay. She made that clear..."

Jay looked at Adam carefully. He knew he had moved on from his past relationship with Amy, but clearly, she hadn't. "What happened before Phil and I got out there?" he asked. "What happened to her?"

Taking a deep breath, Adam ran his hand through his hair. "Before Matthew and Shane got there, she told me to stay away from her so Matthew wouldn't see I was alive," he answered quietly, able to see everything clearly in his mind. "But then... she kissed me. I let her do it. I kissed her back, Jay. I don't know why, but I did. I shouldn't have... But then, Matthew got there. He was furious. I pushed Amy away when he pulled out his gun. He was going to shoot me, but... Amy took the bullet. She died in my arms... to save me. That's when you got there, and you know the rest."

"I'm sorry, Adam," Jay said quietly. "I had no idea..."

"Well, I really didn't have much time to talk about it after Matthew shot me," Adam reminded him, the hint of a smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth. "But... what really bothered me more than anything was Matthew's eyes. He and Amy were in a relationship, and after he killed her... he seemed completely unfazed. I've never seen anything like it. It was unnerving."

Jay nodded. "I understand why," he replied. "To kill someone you care about and not be affected... That's terrifying. It could have been you, though..."

"It was supposed to be," Adam whispered thoughtfully. Then, he looked up at his best friend, his voice a little louder. "We need to stop him, Jay."

"I know, but how?" Jay sighed. "Matt, one of our best friends, is trapped in there with that monster. What happens to one happens to the other."

Adam's fist clenched tightly. Even though it had been the face of a man he had known for years looking down at him as he aimed a gun at his forehead, his eyes were those of a completely different person. But Jay was right. Matt was in there somewhere...

"Not sure, Jay," he finally muttered, running his hand through his hair again. "But we have to do something before he tries to hurt someone else."

* * *

Maria pushed open the door of her and Phil's hotel room, pausing with surprise when she saw that the lights were off and the room was empty. Eyes narrowing slightly with confusion, she turned the light back on and approached the bed, seeing there was no sign of her husband.

"That's weird..." Then, she reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone, seeing she had one voice message. She called her mailbox to access it, seeing it was from Phil.

_"Hey, Ria, it's me. Just wanted to let you know Adam's in the hospital. That's where most of us are. Hope to see you soon. I'm sorry about overreacting earlier, I didn't mean it. I love you."_

Worried about her friend, Maria put her phone in her pocket and grabbed the keys to her and Phil's rental car before rushing out of the room. She ran down the stairs to the lobby, seeing that Jeff was just about to make his way back up them.

"Maria, what's going on?" Jeff asked with alarm, seeing the worried look on her face.

"Adam's in the hospital," Maria answered hurriedly as she continued past him toward the door.

"What?" Jeff turned and quickly ran after him, falling into step beside her as she opened the door and started to hurry across the parking lot. "Is he okay? What happened?"

"I don't know," Maria said, stopping by her rental car as she unlocked the driver's door. "All I know is what I told you. I had a message from Phil."

Jeff was horrified, wondering what happened to one of his best friends, as he quickly made up his mind to go with her. He ran around the front of the car and sat in the passenger seat as Maria started the car, putting on his seatbelt as she pulled out of the lot and began to drive in the direction of the hospital.

The drive didn't take long since Maria was going a little over the speed limit, and she quickly found a spot to park before shutting the car off. She and Jeff stepped out of the car, Maria locking it up behind them, before they began to hurry toward the door.

A man wearing a hooded sweatshirt was sitting on a bench on the sidewalk outside of the hospital, and he slowly got to his feet when the two got closer. Then, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Maria's arm, pulling her close as he took a handgun out of his pocket and placed it against her temple.

"Maria!" Jeff shouted with worry as she whimpered with fear. "Don't hurt her!"

"I don't plan on it if you cooperate," the man told him quietly, ignoring Maria as tears formed in her eyes. "Your job, Jeff, is to help me deliver a message."

Jeff's face darkened with confusion as his heart continued to race. "I know your voice," he muttered. "Who are you?"

Maria whimpered again as the man pushed the gun against her head with more force before he raised the hand he had wrapped around her and slowly lowered his hood. Jeff's eyes widened with shock as he looked at the other man.

"You?"

* * *

Phil paced the waiting room anxiously, John sighing as he watched him. "Maybe she hasn't gotten the message yet," he muttered. "I don't think Maria would ignore you."

"I know, but I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong..." Phil replied just as quietly. He took his cell phone out of his pocket, going through his contacts to find his wife's number so he could try calling her again.

Then, the door to the hospital opened, and both men watched as a shaken looking Jeff answered. "What's wrong, Man?" John wondered, getting to his feet as the younger Hardy joined them. Phil watched him carefully.

Jeff took a couple deep breaths before looking from Phil to John and back. "Shane Helms..." he muttered in disbelief. "He has Maria."

**Author's Note**: But it does pick up a little bit at the end ;) Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated! Thank you!


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! With classes going on now, it may take a little bit longer for me to update. But, after this chapter, there are only two more, so we're almost done! Plus, there were a couple plot developments I felt needed to be worked out before I continued, and now that they are, the last two chapters shouldn't take too long. Thank you so much to **Mattaggot**, **Sofa King We Todd Did**, **Renna33**, **elliexhardy**, **jcott3**, **XxDanielleNicolexX**, **stephiexo95**, **myers1978**, **x0allisonqt0x**, and **vampiregirl2009 Wolfgirl77769 **for your reviews and patience! Enjoy!

_Chapter 13_

"_What_?" Phil stared at the younger Hardy with shock, his words not completely registering. "Where is she? Where did he take her?"

"I... I don't know," Jeff muttered, concern in his wide, green eyes. "We got to the hospital, and he was waiting outside for us. He put a gun to Maria's head... said something about a message..."

Phil quickly turned away from him to look at the door of the hospital, immediately running across the waiting room and pushing it open as he stepped out into the night. Matthew and Shane had taken his daughter- he wasn't going to let them take his wife too. "Maria!" he shouted, looking around at the dark parking lot. "Maria!" His heart sank when he got no response.

He slowly walked away from the door, heading aimlessly toward the many cars parked before him. But then, Phil paused when something dark caught his eye on the park bench near the entrance, and he got closer to see what it was. His eyes narrowed when he saw it was a thin black sweatshirt bunched up, and he gasped quietly when he held it up and recognized it to be his wife's.

"Maria!" Phil's hazel eyes anxiously scanned the area. "Where are you?"

Not knowing which way to go, Phil began to walk toward the parking lot again, but he stopped when he heard a faint ringing noise. He paused, listening intently to figure out where the sound was coming from, and he quickly reached into the pocket of Maria's sweatshirt and pulled out her cell phone. It was a blocked number, but he immediately answered. "Hello?"

_"Hello, Phil."_

Phil took a deep breath when he recognized the voice of Shane Helms. "Where is she?" he asked.

_"Maria? She's right here," _Shane answered.

"Let me talk to her," Phil demanded. He had to make sure his wife was all right.

Shane laughed. _"Not until you listen to my message,"_ he replied.

"I won't listen until you let me talk to Maria," Phil told him. His jaw was set firmly, determined to hear Maria's voice before he listened to anything else Shane had to say.

There was a long silence on the other end, and for a moment, and Phil felt an anxious feeling form in the pit of his stomach. "Hello? Hello?"

_"... Phil?"_

"Maria!" Phil sighed with overwhelming relief when he heard his wife's voice. "Oh, thank God... Ria, are you okay?"

_"I'm fine," _Maria said. _"But, Phil, don't listen to him. It's a trap!"_

"What are you..." But Phil's question trailed off when he suddenly heard Maria scream. "Ria? Ria!"

_"There, you talked to her." _ Shane's voice came back on the line. _"Now, it's my turn."_

"What do you want?" Phil asked angrily. If he had hurt her in any way...

_"Well, I just figured it's been a while since we've talked about your pretty little daughter."_

Panic nearly stopped Phil's heart when the other man mentioned Lexie. "Where is she?"

Shane laughed again. _"Not to worry, Phil, she's just fine. Sleeping at the moment, actually," _he assured him. _"But I'm sure you'd like her back."_

Phil ran his hand through his black hair, remembering his wife's words about how what Shane told him was a trap. But Lexie was more important to him than the potential dangers of listening to the man who he had once called a friend. "What do I have to do?" he wondered quietly.

_"Maria will tell you." _That was all Shane said before he ended the call.

"Wait! Shane, wait!" Phil sighed, but before he could put the phone back in his wife's sweatshirt, the screen lit up again when a text message came in. He opened it, seeing that it contained only three words.

_Around the corner._

Phil slowly looked down the sidewalk to his right, putting the phone in the sweatshirt pocket before running down to where the text had told him to go. He rounded the corner, his eyes widening with fear when he saw Maria sitting on the ground, leaning back against a mailbox. He hurried forward and knelt down in front of her, brushing some of her red hair out of her face and seeing her eyes were closed.

"Ria," he muttered anxiously, placing his hand on her cheek and running his thumb lightly over her skin. "Ria, come on, wake up..."

After a long moment, a quiet groan escaped from Maria as her eyes slowly fluttered open at his gentle touch, and she unconsciously flinched. But then, her body relaxed when she saw it was her husband. "Phil..."

"It's okay, Ria," Phil told her with a smile. "I'm here. You're safe."

Maria looked at him for a minute longer before tears quickly filled her eyes and fell as sobs shook her shoulders. Phil wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close as she cried, feeling her cling to him tightly as he simply held her.

"It's okay."

* * *

Jay sighed as he walked down the hallway to the vending machine, reaching into his pocket for the spare change he had on him. He quickly counted it to make sure he had enough, putting it in the machine once he saw he did and selected flavored water. He immediately opened it and took a sip. It was going to be a long night.

Then, he turned around when he heard footsteps behind him, and Jay watched with surprise as the woman approached him. "Taryn, what are you doing up?" he asked.

Taryn shrugged as she walked up to the vending machine, putting money in and getting a diet soda. "Sleep really wasn't working out too well," she answered quietly, turning back to look at him with a small smile. "How about you? What are you doing here?"

"I just checked up on Adam," Jay told her. "Gonna head back there, I think."

"Oh, how's he doing?" Taryn wondered.

Jay ran his hand through his short blond hair. "Physically, he's a little sore, but he'll be fine," he replied carefully.

"And... otherwise?" Taryn looked at him with confusion.

Sighing, Jay lowered his gaze for a minute. "Amy's death was hard on him," he explained hesitantly. "I guess she died to save his life..."

Concern crossed Taryn's face as she placed her hand lightly on Jay's cheek, making him turn back to look at her. "Adam will be just fine," she assured me as she smiled. "Trust me. He's strong."

After a moment, Jay nodded with agreement as he half-heartedly returned the smile. "Thanks, Taryn." Then, he looked at her with worry. "How are you holding up?"

Taryn's smile slowly vanished as she met Jay's gaze. Jay looked back at her with confusion, noticing the thin line of tears that had formed in her eyes. Then, before either one knew what was happening, Taryn closed her eyes as she leaned forward and gave Jay a soft kiss. Jay wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her a little closer as he kissed her back, their lips moving together effortlessly. He brushed some of her blonde hair back from her face when she pulled away, but she remained close to him.

"I'm sorry," Taryn muttered. "I... I don't know what came over me..."

"That's okay," Jay said just as quietly, leaning a little closer to kiss her again. But he was stopped by Taryn resting her finger on his lips.

"No," she whispered. "I... I'm sorry." Then, without another word, Taryn walked past Jay as she hurried back toward Drew's room.

Sighing, Jay ran his hand through his hair as he watched her leave. He had no idea what had made him kiss Taryn, but he knew he shouldn't have. Not when her husband was in a coma and she was expecting a child. It didn't feel right. Once she was out of sight, Jay took another sip of his water as he began to walk back down the hall to talk to Adam. He figured his best friend would be the one to talk to about what had happened.

* * *

"_Matt_?" Jeff looked at Phil and Maria with horror. "He... he put Drew in a coma? Shot Adam? Took Lexie?"

"No," Maria murmured, putting her hands to her head as she gripped her red hair tightly from the stress she was under. "Not Matt. Matthew. The man doing this is _not_ your brother."

"Matt's a multiple personality," Phil explained as he wrapped his arm around his shaken wife a bit more tightly. "From what Jay said, his and Adam's best guess is Matthew surfaced due to the head trauma during the feud he had with Drew. That's why they think he was a bit more violent when it came to him."

Jeff slowly shook his head as he lowered his gaze, trying to wrap his mind around what his friends were saying. His older brother, a man he respected and looked up to, was a multiple personality. The man who had taken Lexie and hurt people he cared about was trapped inside the body of the the older Hardy, and he didn't know how they could stop him without hurting Matt as well.

Running his hand through his hair, Jeff pushed himself to his feet and restlessly began to pace the hospital waiting room. Maria looked at him with concern, sorrow in her eyes. "Jeff, you okay?" she wondered.

He wanted to tell her that yes, he was fine. But Jeff couldn't bring himself to lie to her since he was feeling exactly opposite, so instead, he just said nothing. The younger Hardy turned his back on them and left the hospital, walking out into the night.

Maria sighed, resting her head on Phil's shoulder as he ran his hand up and down her arm in a comforting manner. "I feel terrible for him," she said quietly.

"He had to know, Ria," Phil replied. "Believe me, it was better that we told him."

"I know. Doesn't make it any easier." Maria looked up at Phil, kissing his cheek. "What are we doing to do about Lexie?"

Phil sighed, looking away from his wife. Shane had given her the location of where they would meet to negotiate about their daughter, but Maria had warned him it was a trap and he couldn't be trusted. It was his choice on whether or not to take that chance for Lexie, and to him, it seemed obvious. "I'm going to meet Shane and get her," he told her.

Maria looked at him with concern. "Phil, think this through," she tried to reason. "You know Shane has something in mind."

After a moment, Phil met her gaze. "I'm counting on it," he replied. "But I'm not letting him get away with our daughter. He told you where he wants me to meet him and when, and I'm going to to it." He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of the waiting room. "Not much longer now..."

Maria looked at her husband for a long moment, holding his hand tightly. "Let me go with you," she finally muttered.

"No." Phil shook his head as his eyes hardened. "That's not going to happen. You just said he has some sort of plan."

"And you expect me to just let you walk right into his trap?" Maria countered, her temper rising. "Not a chance, Phil. I'm not losing both of you."

Phil sighed again, brushing some of her red hair back from her face. "I'll be just fine," he assured her. "No matter what he has planned, I'll be walking out of there with our daughter. You can count on that."

Maria bit her bottom lip nervously, but before she could say anything else, John came back into the waiting room with the three coffees he had gotten for them. "All right, here you guys go," he said, taking the first one out of the tray and handing it to Maria.

"Actually, I'm going to take mine and run," Phil replied as he got to his feet, taking his coffee when John handed it to him. "I have someplace I have to be."

John looked at him with confusion as Maria got to her feet as well, hugging her husband tightly. "Promise me you'll come back in one piece with Lexie," she whispered. "Promise me, Phil."

Phil wrapped his arms around her as well, holding her close. "I promise."

* * *

Matthew looked up when the door to their motel room opened, watching as Shane entered and shut the door again behind him. "Did your plan work?" he asked, his tone lacking interest.

"This part did," Shane answered with a smile, sitting down on the bed next to the still sleeping Lexie. "And Phil's the girl's father. There's no way he won't come for her."

"Well, as long as you get him out of the way, that's all I care about," Matthew muttered, sighing as he got up from the second bed.

Shane smirked. "You won't have to worry about that." Then, he took his cell phone out of his pocket to check his watch. "I suppose I should get going. He'll be there soon for the girl."

Matthew turned and watched as Shane carefully picked up the sleeping girl. When she felt his arms around her, Lexie's eyes slowly fluttered open as she yawned. "...Daddy..."

"You'll see him soon, kid," Shane said, shifting her to one arm while he pulled the keys to the rental car out of his pocket. But before he could leave, he stopped and looked over his shoulder when he felt the other man's hand on his arm.

"Don't fail, Shane," Matthew warned quietly, his eyes shining darkly. "I am not in a forgiving mood."

Shane met his gaze for a moment before nodding confidently. "I won't," he told him. Then, he quickly left the motel room. He crossed the parking lot to their car and unlocked it, opening the back door to set Lexie inside. She looked up at him, blinking tiredly as he put her seatbelt on.

"Where lady?" she wondered, her voice still thick with sleep.

Sighing as he got her seatbelt in place, Shane ran his hand through his dark curls as he looked back at her. "She's not here anymore, kid," he said, knowing she was asking about Amy.

Lexie turned her head slightly to the side in confusion. "Where she go?"

Shane bit his bottom lip, leaning against the car for a moment as he tried to think of the best answer he could give her. "Well... I'd like to think someplace better," he finally muttered, a small smile forming at the corner of his mouth. Then, he backed away and shut the door before getting in behind the wheel. He started the car, looking for traffic before he pulled out of the parking lot.

"She come back?"

Sighing, Shane glanced back at Lexie in the rear-view mirror. Apparently, her questions weren't done. "No, kid. She's not coming back," he told her quietly.

"Oh." A frown appeared on Lexie's face. "She no like me anymore?"

Despite himself, Shane chuckled at her question. "I'm sure that's not the reason she left," he assured her, turning onto the main road that would bring him to his destination. "She still liked you. She's just... not with us anymore."

Lexie's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. "Tell her I miss her?" she wondered.

Shane's small smile slowly vanished. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth that what she wanted wouldn't happen. It wasn't like the girl would understand what had happened to Amy anyway since she was too young to grasp the concept of death. So instead, he looked at her in the rear-view mirror again, giving her another smile. "Sure, kid," he said. "I'll tell her."

* * *

Jay opened the door of Adam's room, surprised to see he wasn't on the bed anymore. A jolt of panic ran through him as he looked around the room, the other man nowhere to be seen. For a second, he thought he may have walked into the wrong room, but seeing the number 118 on the door confirmed he was in the right place. "Adam?"

"What?"

Surprised to hear the sudden familiar voice behind him, Jay quickly turned around and saw Adam was standing behind him, dressed in a pair of Converse, light jeans, and a new black t-shirt with a water-bottle in his hand. "Where were you?" he wondered with frustration.

Adam raised an eyebrow as he looked at the other man. "What are you, my mother?" he muttered as he walked past him to enter the room. "Relax, Jay. I got a new shirt and changed before getting some water. No big deal. Just came back to grab my stuff so I can go sit with the others in the waiting room... if you let me, that is."

Jay shook his head and sighed as he looked at the other man. "You can't blame me for being concerned," he replied. "You got out of surgery almost two hours ago after being shot, remember?"

"No, Jay, that completely slipped my mind." Adam looked back at him, giving him his typical smirk. "Clearly, I'm okay. So, if there are no more issues, I'd like to get out of this room."

"Of course." Jay watched the man he considered his brother carefully, knowing that he was only partly right. Physically, he was okay like he said. But he could also see that something was still weighing heavily on his mind, and he had no doubt that it was what happened with Amy. It was something that was going to take time to get over, and being trapped in his hospital room wasn't going to help that. "Hey, Adam, can I talk to you about something before we leave?"

"Sure, what is it?" Adam asked, looking back at him. His green eyes narrowed with concern when he saw the troubled look on his best friend's face. "You all right, Man?"

"I... I think so," Jay answered unsurely. "But..."

"But what?" Adam completely turned to face the other man. "What's bothering you?"

Sighing, Jay looked back at him. "I kissed Taryn," he told him, deciding to just say it. "Well, she kissed me, but..."

Adam took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Jay..." he began hesitantly.

"I know how bad that is, Adam. Believe me, I do," Jay quickly interrupted. "It was a feeling I acted on, one I've had for I don't remember how long... I shouldn't have, I know that. But I couldn't help it."

"No, Jay, you shouldn't have," Adam agreed. "But probably not for the same reason you're thinking."

"What do you mean?" Jay looked at his best friend with confusion.

Adam took a sip of his water. "Well, aside from the obvious that she's a married woman, she's also a grieving one," he explained. "I know they were having somewhat of a fallout before this happened, but Drew's still her husband. With the possibility of him not waking up, you know she's a mess. What she did might not have been because she has the same feelings I know you've had for her for a long time. I just don't want you getting hurt, that's all."

Jay thought about Adam's words carefully. Is that what that moment with Taryn had been? Just something she did because she was grieving? He felt like it wasn't, but deep down, he had doubt. Deep down, he feared that's exactly what it had been.

"Thanks for your concern, Adam," he finally muttered. "But I'll be fine."

Adam looked at the other man for a long moment with a sad smile on his face. "I know you will be," he replied just as quietly. "Now, what do you say we head out by the others, huh?"

Jay returned the smile, but it was forced. "Sure, sounds good."

"Okay." Adam sighed as he put his phone in his pocket, placing his hand on his best friend's shoulder for a second before he left the room. Jay lingered behind for a little longer, his conflicting feelings fighting inside of him, before he too stepped out into the hallway after Adam, turning off the light and shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Phil felt his anxiety rising as he got closer to his destination, his hand gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were turning white. He knew this was probably his last chance to get Lexie back in a meeting with Shane, and though he expected some sort of trap, he was determined to walk away with his daughter. He wasn't going to let her go again.

He pulled to a stop across the street from the gym, the place where everything had begun, and turned the rental car off. Phil took a deep breath, running a hand through his dark hair as he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. He had never been more worried in his life. But he had to focus, not just for himself, but for his little girl.

Knowing it was now or never, Phil opened the driver's door and stepped out of the car. He locked it up before hurrying across the street to stand in front of the gym. After quickly scanning the area and seeing no sign of either Shane or Lexie outside of the building, he decided to try the door, not too surprised that it was open. Looking around outside one more time, he sighed and entered the dark gym, slowly starting to walk further inside. It was hard to see since the only light was provided by the moonlight coming in through the large windows, but he kept his hands out to the side to help him maneuver his way past the exercise equipment.

"Lexie!" Phil called, his intent hazel eyes scanning the area.

"Daddy?"

Phil gasped quietly at the sudden, high-pitched voice, knowing it anywhere. He looked around anxiously, finally spotting the near three-year-old sitting on a couple piled up mats against the back wall. "Lexie!" He ran the rest of the way across the room, kneeling in front of her and wrapping his arms tightly around her as he pulled her close. "I've got you, girl. I've got you. You're okay now..."

Lexie grabbed onto Phil tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. "Want to go home, Daddy," she murmured. "Scared..."

"We'll go home, Lex, I promise," Phil told her, feeling tears form in his eyes as he backed away from her a little and brushed some of her black hair behind her ear. "It's going to be okay."

"Not yet."

Lexie screamed when Phil suddenly grunted with surprise when a hand roughly grabbed his hair and pulled him away from his daughter. He turned around to face his attacker, only to be met with a forceful punch to the jaw. Phil stumbled back, catching his fall on a treadmill behind him, and glared at Shane once he regained his balance. "I was wondering when you'd show up," he said.

Shane smirked back at him, reaching into his sweatshirt. "You really didn't think I'd make it that easy, did you?" he replied.

"Well, it would have been nice," Phil muttered sarcastically. "But no, I expected you'd do something like this."

"Then you'd no I have no intention of letting you walk away with your daughter."

Phil's eyes widened when Shane suddenly rushed at him, something in his hand glinting in the moonlight. Realizing it was the blade of a pocketknife, he quickly moved out of the way, hearing the weapon hit the treadmill behind him. He then punched Shane in the stomach when he came at him again, but he cried out when the knife cut across his cheek.

"Daddy!" Lexie shouted, watching on anxiously.

Trying to catch his breath, Phil used the sleeve of his sweatshirt to wipe the dripping blood away. "Daddy's okay, Lex," he tried to assure her with a small smile. "Daddy's okay." But then, he was knocked to the floor when something heavy hit his back, and he winced in pain when the weight fell to the floor next to him. He looked up, seeing Shane was standing over him, knife in hand.

"Sorry, Phil," he told him. "But I can't let you leave here with her."

"Are you really going to kill me in front of my own daughter?" Phil asked coldly. "Could you really live with yourself?"

Shane hesitated for a split second, but it was enough time for Phil to lash his foot out and hit him in the knees, bringing him to the ground. He grabbed the pocketknife and tossed it to the side before he pulled the gun he had taken from the hotel out from under his shirt and aimed it at the other man.

"I'm walking out of here with my daughter," he said firmly, his eyes staring at him darkly.

But surprisingly, Shane laughed. "Well, to do that, you'll have to kill me," he replied. "But can you really do that in front of her? What would she think of you if she watched you hurt me?"

"Daddy?" Lexie watched the scene in front of her, bouncing up and down on the mats. She wrapped her little fingers around the one she was sitting on, holding it nervously.

Phil stared at Shane for a long moment, taking a deep breath. "Everything's okay, Lex," he called back to her, his eyes never leaving the other man's face.

Shane smirked. "You can't do it, can you?" he asked in nearly a whisper. "Not with her here..." Then, he reached forward and wrestled the gun from Phil's grasp, aiming it directly at the Straightedge Superstar's forehead. "I can guarantee you can't say the same about me."

Suddenly, Shane cried out with surprise when something hit him in the back, and he dropped the gun to the floor. Phil quickly pushed that to the side and out of reach as well, looking up to see who had entered the gym. His eyes widened with fear when he saw it was his wife.

"How could you do this?" Maria demanded shrilly, hitting Shane with the weight she held in her hand again. "How could you take my daughter?"

"Ria, calm down," Phil muttered, getting to his feet and wrapping an arm around her, easing the weight out of her hand. "I'll take care of Shane. Go get Lexie."

Maria looked at Phil for a moment, tears falling from her eyes, before she turned her attention to the back of the gym. "Lexie!"

"Mama!" Lexie reached out as the woman stopped in front of her and picked her up into her arms, holding her tightly as she sobbed.

"Oh, thank God you're all right..."

Phil smiled slightly as he watched them, turning back around when the door of the gym opened again as John walked in. "You brought her, I assume?" he asked.

John nodded. "Maria refused to stay behind," he answered. "She had to know for sure you both would be okay."

"Well, I hate to say it, but... thank you," Phil said with a slight laugh. "If it hadn't been for Ria... I probably wouldn't be here."

Before John could say anything, Phil gasped when he felt the weight be taken from his hand before it hit him in the shoulder, causing him to cry out. John began to hurry toward Shane but was also stopped when he was hit in the stomach with the same weight. Shane then tossed the makeshift weapon aside, looking at the damage he had caused. Even though they were momentarily stunned, he was still outnumbered, and he had no chance to get the girl back now. He would have to leave.

Giving a resigned sigh, Shane turned and hurried out of the gym. Phil looked up when he heard the door open and close, gritting his teeth tightly as he followed after him. But when he stepped out onto the sidewalk, the sound of squealing tired echoed in the night around him, and he was only able to watch as Shane sped out of sight.

* * *

He didn't know what he was going to do. Not only had Phil survived, but he had lost Lexie, their only leverage.

Shane found a spot in the motel parking lot, turning the car off as he ran his hand through his dark curls. His plan had failed, and he knew Matthew wasn't going to be happy. He reluctantly stepped out of the car and crossed to where where their room was, unlocking the door and stepping inside.

Matthew was lying on the bed furthest from him on his back with his eyes closed, not even acknowledging that he had returned. Shane started to release the breath he was holding. Maybe he had lucked out and wouldn't be interrogated until morning. He quietly took his shoes off and sat down on the second bed, trying to will his racing heart back to normal.

"How did it go?"

Cursing under his breath, Shane looked up and saw Matthew was now looking at him. But it only took a second for the other man to realize that they were one short.

"Where's the girl?" Matthew asked, promptly sitting up.

Shane laughed a little, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he felt. "Well, about that..." he answered. "My plan was working perfectly until her mother and their friend showed up. She's... with her parents."

Matthew's face remained strangely blank. Shane looked at him with surprise, expecting some sort of rage. But there was nothing. "So... what you're telling me is you lost the girl and Phil is still alive?" he said.

"Yeah..." Shane replied reluctantly. "But give me-!"

But he didn't have time to finish his sentence when Matthew suddenly pulled a gun out from under his jacket, made sure it was loaded, and fired. Shane looked down at his chest with shock, seeing the blood began to spread on his shirt as he collapsed back onto the bed.

Matthew got to his feet and walked over to stand beside him, watching as Shane's dim eyes found him. "I told you I'm not in a forgiving mood," he told him quietly just before the other man's eyes closed.

Sighing, Matthew put the gun back in his jacket and walked over to the window, moving the curtains aside to look out into the night. Overall, Shane's failure didn't mean too much since it was only a small part of his plan, but he still didn't want someone with him who would only prove to be a hinderance. That's why he had gotten rid of him... and Amy.

He closed his dark eyes tightly at the thought of his old girlfriend, but he quickly pushed them from his mind as he opened his eyes again. He was on his own now, and he preferred it that way. There was no one else to get in his way.

"This isn't over yet."

**Author's Note**: Some interesting developments with this story. But, we're winding down! Two more chapters to go, the next one being the climax. What does Matthew have in store? Well, you'll have to find out! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Important! I take back what I said last author's note. After this chapter, there will be one more and then an epilogue. So after this chapter, there will be two more updates. Even though it's the end of the trilogy, there is one more thing I'm considering doing, which I will ask for your opinions later on. Anyway, thank you to **x0allisonqt0x**, **Sofa King We Todd Did**, **Mattaggot**, **Renna33**, **jcott3**, and **ellixhardy **for your reviews! Enjoy the chapter!

_Chapter 14_

Taryn sat at Drew's beside, looking down at his blank expression with a thin line of tears in her eyes. She couldn't get what had happened with Jay out of her mind. She could still feel his arms around her, the feeling of his lips against hers still lingering on her own. But what stuck out to her the most was how that one moment had just felt... right.

No. Taryn put her head in her hands, feeling a few tears escape from her eyes as she gripped her hair. Her husband was in a coma, possibly not going to wake up. She had to be there for him.

Sighing, she wiped her tears away and moved her gaze back to the unresponsive Drew. She felt terrible for kissing Jay, disappointed in herself for doing so when her husband needed her. But what concerned her was she didn't know what had made her kiss him in the first place. She couldn't pinpoint what had come over her in that one moment that caused her to make that mistake.

But what Taryn did know was that it was one she wouldn't make again.

"I'm so sorry, Drew..."

* * *

Jay walked with Adam as the other man pushed the door of the waiting room open, and they both stopped with surprise when they saw no one in their group was there. "That's strange," Adam muttered as he walked in anyway. "Didn't you say they were here?"

"They were," Jay told him, following after him as his eyes scanned the room with confusion. "I didn't hear anything about anyone leaving."

Adam shrugged as he crossed the room and sat in a chair, making himself comfortable. "Well, I'm sure we'll find out something," he replied as his best friend sat in the chair next to him.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Jay agreed, but only halfheartedly.

Sighing, Adam looked at the other man carefully. "You all right?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Jay turned to look at Adam. "Yeah, fine."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Jay..." he began.

Jay shook his head. "It's nothing," he assured him. "Okay?"

"Look, if it's what happened with Taryn..." Adam muttered, but he stopped when Jay held up his hand.

"It's nothing," he repeated, his tone firm. Adam just nodded, knowing when his best friend didn't want to talk.

Then, the door to the hospital opened, and Jeff entered the waiting room. His face was unusually blank, but when he saw his two friends, his eyes lit up a little. "Adam!"

"Hey, Jeffro," Adam said with a smile as the younger Hardy quickly approached them, sitting in the chair on his other side.

Jeff returned the smile. "Hey, glad to see you up and around," he replied. "Heard about what happened. You're okay though, obviously..."

Adam nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he told him. "Just a little sore, but that's to be expected."

"Yeah, that'll get better," Jeff agreed. But then, his face darkened a little. "I'm just glad he didn't kill you..."

Sighing, Adam ran his hand through his hair as he looked at the younger Hardy. "Yeah, me too," he said. "Especially after Amy..."

Jeff sighed too. "I heard," he replied quietly. "In no way is that your fault. It was a choice she made."

Adam smiled slightly. "I know." Then, he raised his gaze to meet Jeff's. "You do know that to stop Matthew..."

The younger Hardy's gaze faltered. "I know the chances we have to take. I've been trying to prepare myself for it ever since Phil and Maria told me about what's been happening, but... it hasn't made it any easier."

"Jeff... I'm really sorry," Adam muttered. "Matt's been our friend for years, but he's your brother..."

After a moment, Jeff nodded. "Matthew has to be stopped," he said, his tone blank. "I accept that."

Jay looked up at his two friends, sighing quietly to himself. Figuring out a way to stop Matthew was the main concern, preferably without hurting Matt in the process. It was something that should have been at the front of his mind, not his selfish concerns about what had happened with Taryn. Adam knew what he was thinking about, that much was certain. He was just glad he hadn't pushed the matter any further.

The door to the hospital opened again, and John entered this time with Maria. Phil came in shortly after, and Jeff and Adam's eyes widened when they saw who he held in his arms. "Lexie!"

"Adam! Jeff!" Lexie started to wiggle out of her dad's arms, and Phil laughed a little as he set her down on the ground. The almost three-year-old ran across the room, jumping into Adam's arms when he knelt on the ground and hugged his neck tightly.

"Missed you!" she said.

"I missed you too," Adam replied with a smile, ruffling her black hair once she released his neck. "Glad you're back with us, girl."

Lexie hugged him one more time before moving over to Jeff when he knelt next to them, wrapping her small arms around him just as tightly. Jay smiled as he watched the three of them for a moment longer before getting to his feet and walking over to Phil, John, and Maria.

"How did you get her?" he asked.

"Well, Shane took Maria and told her he wanted to meet me at the gym to negotiate about Lexie," Phil answered. "Of course, it ended up being a trap, but fortunately, John brought Maria. Because of them, we were able to get Lexie back. I don't know where Shane went off to... Probably back to Matthew."

Jay nodded. "The most important thing is that she's back with us," he said.

Maria nodded, tears still in her eyes. "Yes," she whispered as Phil wrapped his arm around her. "I can't say... how it feels..." Her sentence trailed off when a few tears fell from her eyes.

"Scared while with them," Lexie started to give her account about being kidnapped to Jeff and Adam, sitting on the latter's lap. "Guys were mean. Didn't like them. Lady was nice... but one guy said she wouldn't come back." Jeff glanced at Adam, seeing his face remained blank. "They kept saying I'd see Daddy... and now I do!" But then, her eyes narrowed with confusion. "I knew lady. Friend of yours." She looked up at Adam.

Adam sighed, exchanging a look with the younger Hardy. "Yeah, she was a friend of ours," he told her. "But she was nice to you, you said?"

Lexie nodded, but by the look on her face, she was still confused. "Knew guy too. He bossed others around," she muttered. "What his name again?"

"Matt." The answer didn't come from Adam, but from Jeff.

"Yeah! Matt," Lexie replied, glancing at the younger Hardy before looking back up at Adam. "Why he mean? Thought he was nice..."

"Well, it's not that he was exactly trying to be mean, Lexie," Adam said, unsure of how to explain that Matt hadn't really been Matt. "He wasn't going to hurt you."

"But he scared me!"

"I know." Adam sighed, placing his hand on her head. "But what matters is that you're with us now. And we're going to catch those scary men. We just have to know where they are."

Lexie tilted her head a little. "I help you?" she asked.

Adam hesitated. "I don't think that's really a good idea, Lexie..." he answered.

A frown appeared on Lexie's face. "I tell you where I was?"

"You know?" Jeff wondered, leaning a little closer to her.

"Yeah!" Lexie said, happy that they seemed more interested in what she had to say. She turned back to Adam when he brushed some stray strands of hair out of her face.

"Can you tell us, Lexie? That will help us get those men."

"Well... okay! Um..." Lexie bit her lip as she struggled to remember the details. "Room. Two beds with flowers on sheets. Sheets scr... scratchy. Didn't like them," she told them. "Uh, chair... TV..."

Adam and Jeff exchanged glances. "Sounds like a hotel," the younger Hardy muttered.

"No!" Lexie's outburst startled both men as she shook her head. "Not hotel. Building not high like this." She raised her hand as far above her head as she could.

Jeff thought over what she was saying. "Was it only one floor?" he asked.

Lexie nodded. "Yeah," she answered. "One floor."

"Could be a motel," Adam suggested thoughtfully. "With only one floor and how it sounds like a hotel..."

"And you wouldn't think Matthew would go far since he still wants to keep an eye on us," Jeff added, his mind racing to figure out all the possibilities. Then, a knowing look appeared in his eyes as he looked at the near three-year-old. "Hey, Lexie. Was there a road nearby with a lot of cars on it?"

Lexie tilted her head a little. "Lots of cars?" she repeated.

"Yeah," Jeff said. "A lot of cars going fast in one direction." Adam looked at the younger Hardy curiously.

"Um... um..." Lexie closed her eyes tightly as she tried to remember. Then, she gasped and opened them again. "Yes! Not by building. Close. Saw it when we went to the car."

Jeff smiled as he looked at Adam. "Remember that motel we passed on our way into the city after we got off the interstate?" he muttered.

Adam slowly nodded. "Yeah, I do," he replied. "You think..."

"That's where Matthew is," the younger Hardy interrupted in a whisper. He smiled at the little girl on his friend's lap, ruffling her hair. "Thanks, Lexie." Then, he quickly got to his feet and began to walk toward his other friends.

"Ria and I are going to just take her back to the hotel," Phil was telling John and Jay when he approached. "But we'll stay in town until we know how Drew is."

Jay nodded. "Yeah, she'd be restless here. It's not the most comfortable," he agreed. Then, he turned to Jeff when he stopped next to him. "What's going on?"

"We know where Matthew is," Jeff told them. "Lexie was able to give us enough information."

"Really?" John asked as the rest of the group exchanged dramatic looks. "Where is he?"

"In that motel we passed on the way here," Adam answered for him as he joined them, holding Lexie. "It's not too far so he can still keep an eye on us, and Lexie described the room as being hotel like, but only one floor."

"I helped!" Lexie exclaimed from his arms, seeming proud of herself.

Phil smiled at her. "Yes you did, Lex," he told her before turning to the rest of the group. "So what should we do?"

"Well, we should go after him," Jeff said, a blank look in his eyes. "Stop him before he strikes again."

"And I think the more of us who go the better," John added. "We don't know what type of situation we'll be walking into."

Maria sighed as she looked at her husband for a long moment before looking at her friends. "I'll stay back with Lexie," she muttered. "You guys be careful..."

"We will, Ria. Don't worry," Phil assured her as he quickly kissed her.

"Easier said than done." Maria gave him a small smile before she turned to her daughter, holding her arms out to her. "Okay, sweetheart, come here. Adam has to go with Daddy now."

"No!" Lexie turned and wrapped her arms tightly around Adam's neck. "Don't want you to go!"

Adam blinked with surprise at the near three-year-old's sudden iron grip on him, and Jay laughed a little from next to him. "Well, well," he said teasingly. "Look at that."

"Jay..." Adam replied quietly in a warning tone, turning his attention to the girl. "Hey, Lexie, could you not grab me so tightly? I'll be back soon, okay?"

Lexie loosened her arms a little like he said, but she still vehemently shook her head. "No!"

Then, Adam winced when her head hit his sore shoulder, biting his lip to keep from vocalizing the pain. "Be careful, Lexie."

But the action didn't go unnoticed by Jay. "You should probably stay behind anyway, Adam," he told him. "With your shoulder..."

"That'd be a good idea," Phil agreed. "With you still being sore..." Then, a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "Not to mention it looks like we'd have to get her physically detached from you."

Adam rolled his eyes, but he sighed. They were right. After Matthew had shot him, he felt as though he hadn't quite regained full use of the affected area yet. It'd be best if he didn't go along. "Okay, I'll stay back," he finally said. "Keep in touch."

"We will," Jeff replied. Then, he ran his hand through his hair as he began to head for the door, John, Phil, and Jay following after him. "Let's get Matthew."

* * *

Jeff left the office of the motel and hurried across the parking lot to where Phil's rental car was waiting. "We have the right place," he told his three friends through the open driver's side window. "The woman working the front desk said two men came here a couple hours ago that matched Matthew and Shane's description. They said they were brothers and had a little girl with them, and they were on their way out of town with one of their daughters because he just lost his wife."

There was some anger in Phil's eyes when he heard Lexie addressed as someone else's daughter. "Well, that's some story, anyway," Jay muttered. "Did she tell you the room?"

"Yeah," Jeff replied with a nod. "Come on."

Phil, Jay, and John all got out of the car and walked up to where the rooms of the motel were, stopping in front of the one Jeff had been given. They tried to see into the room through the window since a light was on, but the curtains were blocking their view. The younger Hardy reached forward and tried the handle, not surprised that it was locked.

"Too bad we don't have a key," John said, still trying to see through the window.

Jeff smirked. "We don't need one," he replied. "Be ready, guys."

Phil, Jay, and John stood tensed around him while Jeff waited for a moment before ramming his shoulder into the door. It took a couple more times before it came unhinged, and the younger Hardy pushed it the rest of the way open before stepping into the room with the others behind him.

It looked exactly like Lexie described it- two beds with flower-print sheets, a chair near the window, and a small television set in the corner near a second door. It was empty.

Jeff slammed his fist down on the bed nearest him in frustration, feeling they were a bit scratchy as Lexie had said. "We're too late," he muttered.

Jay sighed as he pulled out his cell phone to call Adam and tell him Matthew wasn't there while Phil walked over to Jeff and placed his hand on his shoulder. But then, his eyes narrowed slightly when he noticed a small spot on the bed which appeared to be dried blood.

John wandered further into the room, eyes running over everything. It was so neatly made up that it didn't seem as though anyone had even been there. He reached the second door and opened it, seeing it led into a small bathroom. He turned the light on and gasped loudly at the sight as he stumbled back.

Phil's head quickly shot up, seeing John's face had grown a shade paler. "What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to the other man while Jay continued to talk to Adam. He stood in the doorway of the bathroom, his eyes widening in horror. "Oh, God..."

"Um, I'll let you go," Jay muttered, realizing something was wrong as Jeff looked up. "Okay, talk to you soon. Bye." He ended the call and walked over to the other two men with the younger Hardy, both gasping when they saw what their friends had seen.

Shane Helms was lying in the bathtub, blood staining the front of his shirt. His face had no color, his unseeing eyes turned in their direction. There was a little more blood staining the sink, probably from someone trying to wash it off, and a piece of paper taped to the mirror.

Sighing, Jeff slowly walked into the bathroom and took the paper down, seeing there were a couple faint, bloody fingerprints in the bottom right hand corner. In neat handwriting was a note addressed to them.

_I figured you'd find me here. Phil's girl is smart. But if you're reading this, you're too late. I've already made my way to another location. But I commend you for your efforts. You gave it a good try to make it this far. Don't worry, though. It won't be long before you see me again. I'm sure you miss me as much as I miss you._ _I will be seeing you all soon._

_Matthew_

* * *

Silence... blackness... There was nothing else. That was all he could hear, all he could see. Drew had never felt so alone...

* * *

The week passed by slowly. Phil and Maria had taken Lexie back to the hotel with them as they had said, and Jeff, Adam, Jay, and John had cots set up for them so they could stay at the hospital for Drew and Taryn. So far, there had been no real change in Drew's condition.

"I'm worried about Taryn."

Adam looked up from the outdated magazine he was reading in the light of the setting sun coming through the windows, seeing Jay was standing in front of his chair. There was a look on his face he couldn't quite read, and that concerned him. "Uh... Any reason why?" he asked, tossing the magazine back to the low table next to him.

Jay shrugged as he sat in the chair next to him. "We haven't seen her much this week, and since yesterday, not at all," he answered. "I just feel that something's wrong. She shouldn't be alone."

"Well, why don't you go talk to her then? See what's up?" Adam suggested. "I agree, she shouldn't be alone with what she's going through... It's rough."

"You think?" Jay met his best friend's gaze.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Yes, Jay, I do," he told him. "Nothing wrong with checking up on a friend. Man, you're reminding me of the kid who has a crush on the hot girl in school..."

Jay smacked Adam upside the head as he got to his feet, making the other man laugh quietly. "Smart ass," he muttered with a smirk. "But yeah, I'll go see what's going on. See how she's doing."

"Good idea, Jay," Adam replied with a wink.

Sighing and shaking his head, Jay turned away from him and walked through the door that would lead him to the patients' rooms. He turned the corner and walked down to the end of the hallway, knocking on the door on the right side. He ran his hand through his short hair while he waited, and then, the door finally opened a little. Jay leaned to the side a bit, seeing Taryn peeking out at him through the crack.

"Taryn?"

"What, Jay?" Taryn asked, her voice quiet but firm.

Jay's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked back at her. He saw her face was a little pale, dark rings under her eyes which reflected lack of sleep. Her eyes were also red and tear-stained from crying, but what stood out to him the most was the look of fear in them. "Is everything okay?" he wondered with a small smile. "We haven't seen you for a while, and we were a little worried about you being alone... Why don't you come join us for a bit?"

Taryn stared at Jay for a long moment before slowly shaking her head. "No, Jay, that's okay," she replied, forcing a smile of her own. "I'm fine. Really. Just thinking..."

"About what?" Just by taking one look at her, Jay knew everything wasn't fine.

"Drew," Taryn told him, more tears forming in her eyes. "A nurse was in yesterday, telling me it was time to start thinking about whether or not to take him off life support since his condition hasn't improved. It's been hard..."

Jay's gaze saddened. "I'm sorry, Taryn," he muttered. "Don't you think it'd be easier to go through this with friends?"

But Taryn shook her head, and suddenly, more fear returned to her eyes. "No, I... I'm fine," she assured him. "Um, I'll see you later, okay, Jay?"

She started to close the door, but Jay put his hand on it to stop her. "Taryn, what's going on?" he asked quietly, wondering what she was so afraid of.

Taryn looked at him with a desperate look in her eye, tears falling from her cheeks. "Help me," she whispered before she disappeared from sight.

Panic rising within him, Jay pushed the door open a little more as he entered the room. "Taryn?"

Suddenly, a fist connected forcefully with his jaw, and Jay stumbled back to the floor. Taryn screamed, and shaking off the shock from the unexpected hit, Jay looked up when a shadow fell over him. His eyes widened with fear.

"Hello, Jay," Matthew said, a cruel gleam in his eye. "Miss me?"

"How did you get in here?" Jay demanded, scooting away from him a little.

Matthew smirked. "I'll take that as a no," he muttered. "But it wasn't too hard, really. A week ago when most of you went to check out that motel I had been staying at, I made my way back here and snuck inside. With Adam and Maria distracted by that girl, it was easy enough. They had no clue.

"I've been hiding in my own little part of the hospital, out of sight while I kept my eye on all of you. I could have killed each and every one of you silently, one by one, in your sleep... and no one ever would have known. It would have been so easy. But it wouldn't have been satisfying, no... I wanted to see you all suffer. So instead, I waited, just watching and biding my time until the right opportunity arose. And it did. Yesterday with poor little Taryn having to decide whether or not to take her husband off life support..."

Jay watched as Matthew wrapped his arm around Taryn and pulled her closer, his face inches from hers. She whimpered and tried to pull away without success. "I'm just here to help make her decision..."

"It isn't your choice," Jay snapped as he sat up. "I don't know what you've done while you've been here with her, but Drew's life is in her hands, not yours."

Matthew smirked down at him with what appeared to be amusement before he forcefully shoved Taryn away from him, watching as she hit the floor before moving toward the other man. This time, Jay stood up just as he approached him so they were standing eye to eye, anger on his face as he met his cruel gaze.

"It's not, is it?" Matthew asked quietly. "Well, Jay, whether you like it or not, it's become my decision. Because unfortunately, Taryn's personal feelings will only get in the way of making the right decision for poor Drew."

Jay glanced at Drew before moving his gaze to Taryn as she stared up at them with fear from the floor, his eyes resting on Matthew's cold, dark ones. When he said nothing, the other man only smirked. "See, Jay? Even you can't argue with that," Matthew continued. "In many ways, she reminds me of you. You're both so weak..."

"What?" Jay snapped angrily. "I'm not-!"

"Of course you are, Jay!" Matthew interrupted. "Remember back when you were with me? That's when you were strong. You had a cause you were fighting for. But then, your emotions got in the way when Adam got hurt. Your personal feelings stopped you from doing what you should have done. You turned your back on me. Those emotions you give into are what make you weak, Jay. And that's what separates you and me, the weak from the strong."

"Adam's my brother, I couldn't just let him die," Jay hissed, his eyes narrowing.

Matthew leaned a little closer, but Jay stood his ground, seeming to be unfazed. "If you remember, Jay, _you _were the one who almost killed him," he murmured.

Jay's gaze faltered as he quickly shook his head. "I... I didn't mean to..." he protested.

"How did it feel, Jay?" A smirk spread across Matthew's face when he saw his words had the effect he wanted. "How did it feel when you saw the pain in his eyes, heard his gasps for breath, watched him struggle to cling to life..."

"It was an accident." Jay closed his eyes tightly as he continued to shake his head, trying to block out the words. "I didn't mean to..."

Matthew laughed quietly. "It felt good didn't it, Jay?" he asked quietly. "Watching his life almost slip away from him." He paused for a moment to enjoy the suffering the memories were causing the other man. "But then you grew weak. You saved him. You couldn't finish it..."

Jay bit his bottom lip so hard he nearly drew blood. "No..." he whispered before he glared at Matthew. "_Shut up_! Just shut up!"

But Matthew was unfazed by the outburst. "As I said, it's these feelings that make you weak, Jay," he said.

"Yeah, well... You have a brother too, or have you forgotten?" Jay snapped.

Matthew's eyes narrowed slightly. "No. Not my brother," he muttered.

Jay sighed. "Matt's still in there somewhere," he replied. "And Jeff is his brother."

Then, Jay gasped when Matthew grabbed his neck, holding on tightly as he slammed him back into the wall behind him. He leaned forward so his face was inches in front of Jay's, watching impassively as he struggled to pry his hands away from his neck so he could breathe.

"I can assure you Matt is gone," he told him, voice hardly above a whisper. "He may have gotten the better of me before McMahon died, but now... now I am in complete control." His eyes gleamed darkly. "Look at you even now, Jay. Your feelings for Taryn are what got you in this position. You can feel yourself slipping, can't you?"

"Stop!"

Matthew looked to his left when hands grabbed his arm, and a small smirk appeared on his face when he saw Taryn glaring back up at him. "Let him go!" she snapped, seeing that Jay was quickly starting to lose the battle with holding on to his consciousness.

"Or what?" Matthew wondered with an amused tone. "Just what are you going to do?"

Taryn bit her bottom lip, only staring at him for a moment before reaching up and slapping him across the face. Matthew appeared stunned for a moment before snarling angrily. He roughly released Jay, watching as he slid down to the floor and coughed as air rushed back into his lungs before rounding on Taryn. She backed away from him fearfully, having nowhere to go when she felt her legs against Drew's bed. She gasped quietly, nearly losing her balance as she looked up into Matthew's dark eyes, screaming as he reached for her.

* * *

Jeff entered the hospital waiting room, seeing Adam was sitting alone in a chair against the wall with the same magazine he had been looking at when he had left. "Old celebrity gossip doesn't get boring?" he joked, sitting in the chair next to him.

Adam slowly lowered the magazine, rolling his eyes as he once again carelessly tossed it aside. "When you have nothing else to do..." he began.

"Yeah, that's true," Jeff agreed with a laugh. "Where are the others?"

"Well, John went out to get some real food for us since we're all a bit tired of the... I don't know what to even call it... they have here," Adam told him. "And Jay went to go see how Taryn was doing." He looked at the younger Hardy curiously. "How did the drive go?"

Jeff sighed and shook his head. He had decided to drive around the surrounding area, looking for any possibilities of where Matthew could have gone. "Not good," he replied. "There's really nowhere else where he could go. I called Phil to see if he had seen any signs of him around the hotel, but there's been nothing."

Adam nodded. "I'm sure we'll find something soon. He couldn't have gone far," he muttered. Then, he ran his hand through his hair. "Jay's been really concerned about Taryn. Wanna come to the room with me? I think the more support she has, the better."

"Sure," Jeff said. "Better than sitting here worrying about something that's out of our control."

"Yeah..." Adam pushed himself to his feet, stretching a little. "And if anything, I'm sure Matthew will find us."

The two friends crossed the waiting room and pushed open the door that led to the patients' rooms. "So, what's John picking up?" Jeff wondered while they walked.

"KFC," Adam told him with a slight smile. "We figured everyone likes chicken, so..."

Jeff returned the smile. "Sounds good to me," he replied. "Besides, anything's better than... whatever the hell they serve here."

Adam chuckled as they turned the corner. "Is it even food?"

"I don't know."

Then, both men froze when they heard a familiar scream. "Was that..."

"Taryn," Adam muttered, beginning to run toward the end of the hall with Jeff right behind him. They pushed the door of the last room on the right open the rest of the way, and their eyes widened with horror at the sight.

Jay was lying next to the door, coughing as he gasped for breath with Taryn kneeling next to him. Next to Drew's bed with his hand on the life support system was Matthew.

**Author's Note**: Good news, Lexie's back. Bad news... so is Matthew. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Thank you for your reviews, guys! Now, this is the last actual chapter of the story, but there will be one more update after this. Can't believe it's almost done... lol. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

_Chapter 15_

Jeff's eyes widened with horror, only able to stare at the other man in shock. Adam looked down at his best friend with concern. "Jay, are you okay?" he asked. The only answer he got was a nod as he coughed again.

But the younger Hardy hardly heard the question. His eyes only remained on the man who had been his brother. Matthew's hand lingered close to the machine that was keeping Drew alive, pausing for only a moment before he unplugged it.

"No!" Taryn screamed, looking up from where she was tending to Jay. But with Matthew so close, there was nothing she could do.

Matthew then turned his gaze to the door, his smirk widening when he saw Adam and the younger Hardy. He backed away from the life support system, reaching into his sweatshirt.

Jay looked up at the two men anxiously. "Adam, look out!" he warned, his voice hoarse.

Adam looked up and gasped when the other man pulled out a handgun, aiming it in their direction. "Get out of the way!" he shouted to Jeff, shoving him behind the wall on one side of the doorway while he did the same on the other just as the gun was fired. Adam flinched when the bullet hit the doorframe right next to his head.

The sound of the gunshot snapped Jeff out of his shock, and he looked at his friend with worry. "You all right?" he wondered anxiously.

"Yeah," Adam told him with a nod. "I wasn't hit."

Jeff sighed with relief, about to sneak a glance into the hospital room. But both he and Adam backed away from the door when Matthew rushed out, running down the hallway and turning the corner out of sight.

"Let's go," Adam muttered, about to hurry after him. But he was stopped by a hand on his arm. "Jeff?"

The younger Hardy shook his head. "I have to do this alone," Jeff told him, his expression unreadable. "It's my brother who's still in there somewhere... This is my fight, Adam, I don't want you getting hurt. He's only going to kill you."

"But, Jeff..." Adam began, his sentence trailing off when Jeff smiled at him.

"Trust me, I'll be fine," Jeff said.

Adam looked at his friend for a long moment before he sighed, running his hand through his hair as he lowered his gaze. "Be careful," he replied.

Jeff rested his hand on his friend's shoulder for a minute before he took off after Matthew. Adam watched the younger Hardy until he was out of sight before he went into the hospital room. He rushed over to Taryn, who was anxiously trying to plug the life support system back in, but her fingers were shaking so badly it was difficult.

"Here," he muttered, gently moving her aside. Adam was able to get it plugged back in relatively easily before glancing down at Drew, placing two fingers on his neck to check for his pulse. "Well, the nurses will have to put the right settings back on, but for now, Drew should be okay."

Taryn wrapped her arms tightly around Adam as tears rolled freely down her cheeks. "Thank you," she whispered before she let go.

Adam smiled at her and nodded, squeezing her hand for a minute before they both hurried over to Jay. "Hey, Man, you sure you're okay?"

Jay looked up when his best friend knelt next to him on one side with Taryn on the other, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Matthew's getting away!" he said anxiously. "What are you still doing here?"

Adam sighed. "Jeff went after him alone," he muttered.

"What?" Jay looked at Adam with shock as he sat up more. "Adam, this isn't the time for Jeff to play the hero. We need to help him."

But to his surprise, Adam shook his head. "I understand where he's coming from, Jay," he replied, seeing his best friend's eyes falter for a second. "I did the same thing when we found out you were working with Matthew and Shane. I sent John, Taryn, and Drew away so I could deal with you myself. You're my brother, it was no one else's concern. Now, Jeff's in the same situation. Matt is in there somewhere."

"I don't know about that," Taryn said in nearly a whisper as she wiped her tears away. "Matthew was talking to Jay before you guys got here, and he said he was in complete control. Looking in his eyes... I didn't see any hints of Matt anymore at all."

"Matt's still in there, he's just completely buried right now," Jay added, turning his attention to Adam. "Matthew's not stopping until we're all dead, that much is certain. He's been in the hospital ever since Lexie came back, watching us. The reason we're still alive is because he wants to see us suffer. If Jeff faces him alone, he'll do whatever he has to do to put him through the most pain, probably using Matt against him. Jeff couldn't hurt his own brother."

Adam's gaze faltered, knowing the situation he had faced and the one Jeff was in now were completely different. Jay had a conscience- Matthew did not. But before he could say anything, all three of them looked up when a couple of nurses came in to check on Drew.

"What's going on? Is he okay?" one of them asked anxiously.

"Yeah," Adam answered with a slight nod. "You may have to redo the settings. The system came unplugged."

While the nurses went to check the settings on the machine, Adam helped Jay to his feet as Taryn stood up beside them. "Okay. I'm going to go see if I can find Matthew and Jeff," he told his best friend quietly. "You stay here with Taryn."

"You sure?" Jay wondered. "I can come..."

But his sentence trailed off when Adam nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure," he replied. "Trust me on this, Jay."

Jay looked at Adam for a long moment, seeing his gaze traveled to Taryn, before he sighed, dropping his gaze. "I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Nope." Adam smiled. "It'll be okay. You're right. Jeff shouldn't do this alone." Then, he hurried out into the hallway before the other man could argue with him.

Cursing under his breath, Jay turned away from the doorway, his fist clenching. But his hand soon relaxed when another landed on his arm, and he looked down to see Taryn smiling up at him.

"He'll be okay," she muttered. "He and Jeff both will."

Sighing, Jay returned the smile, lightly placing his hand on top of hers. "Thanks, Taryn."

"Excuse me, Taryn?" the heard nurse who was in charge of Drew suddenly spoke up.

"Yes?" Taryn looked back at her, tightening her hold on Jay's arm as she feared the worst. She found some comfort in his fingers wrapping a little more tightly around hers.

But a smile appeared on the woman's face as she looked back at them. "You may want to see this," she said.

Taryn looked up at Jay with confusion, and he nodded toward the bed as he released her hand. She let go of his arm before she walked forward to stand next to the nurse, who gestured down to Drew's right hand. Looking closer, Taryn gasped quietly when she saw his fingers slowly, almost painfully start to move.

"Drew?"

Curious, Jay came up next to Taryn as she leaned over her husband, brushing some hair out of his face before placing her hand on his cheek. "Drew, can you hear me?" she asked, running her thumb lightly over his skin. "Drew?"

The nurses stayed close to the bed while Taryn and Jay watched intently for any more signs of life from the Scotsman. For a long moment, there was nothing. Then, they saw his eyelids starting to flutter, and a minute later, his eyes slowly opened before closing again due to the bright lights above him. Taryn looked back at Jay, grabbing his hand tightly.

Drew was waking up.

* * *

Jeff hurried through the waiting room and pushed the door open as he stepped out into the night, looking around for Matthew. His eyes scanned the dark parking lot intently, hoping for any sign of movement to betray his location. But there was nothing.

Suddenly, the younger Hardy cried out with pain when something skimmed his shoulder as he heard a gunshot, the contact burning. He put his hand to the injury, blood staining his fingers. Then, Jeff looked up when he heard quiet laughter, seeing Matthew was leaning against the wall of the hospital a few feet away from him, gun in hand. He smirked, nodding at him before disappearing around the corner into the alley.

Narrowing his eyes angrily, Jeff ran after him, pausing a minute before following. There were a few lights from street lamps nearby, casting strange shadows into the dimly lit alley as he slowly walked, keeping an eye out for the other man. "Matt?" he called. "Matt!"

"Matt's not here."

Jeff quickly turned around, watching Matthew walk out of the shadows of the hospital behind him. "You're there somewhere, Matt," he muttered, not backing down as he came closer.

Matthew only laughed. "Foolish as always, I see," he said, slowly taking more steps toward the younger Hardy. "Matt is gone. I am in control now."

But Jeff shook his head, his jaw set firmly. "No, I refuse to believe that," he replied quietly. "I know you're in there somewhere, Matt."

"Well guess what, Jeffro?" Matthew asked in a snide tone. "Matt is here somewhere. But he will not be able to save you." Then, before Jeff could say anything, he raised his hand and punched the younger man forcefully in the jaw.

Jeff stumbled back, quickly regaining his footing. Then, Matthew's fist connected with his stomach, and Jeff doubled over, all of the air forced from his lungs. Matthew then punched him a third time across the jaw, and the younger Hardy fell to the ground.

"Do you believe me now, Jeffro?" Matthew asked, slowly circling him. "Your brother was too weak to keep me at bay. And now he's gone, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Coughing as air came back into his body, Jeff rolled over onto his back to look up at the other man, his eyes narrowed angrily. "My brother... is _not_ weak," he answered quietly. "He's one of the strongest people I know."

Matthew smirked. "If he's so strong, where he is now when you need him?" he wondered, pulling out his handgun.

But then, he froze when he noticed something on the ground. Jeff looked to his left, seeing the cracked hand mirror he had found in Matt's hotel room was lying next to him, having fallen out of his sweatshirt when he was knocked to the ground. He quickly moved his gaze back to the other man towering over him, seeing his dark eyes were drawn to his reflection in the mirror.

Knowing it could be his only opportunity, Jeff quickly got to his feet and rammed his shoulder into Matthew's stomach, stunning him enough so he could take the gun from his hands. The younger Hardy made sure it was loaded and aimed it at the other man, his hands shaking slightly.

Matthew looked at Jeff, his eyes shining with amusement. "And just what are you planning on doing with that?" he sneered. "Gonna shoot me, Jeff?"

The younger Hardy swallowed nervously, focusing on keeping the gun trained on Matthew. "You tried to kill us," he muttered. "You've hurt my friends... I can't let you continue."

"But if you kill me... you kill Matt," Matthew reminded him with a smirk. "Could you do it, Jeff? Could you kill your own brother?"

Jeff's gaze faltered, but he didn't lower the gun. "I'm not letting you hurt anyone else."

Matthew glared at Jeff for a moment longer before the angered look was replaced with one of fear. "Wait! Jeffro, don't shoot!" he said, raising his hands. "You were right! I am here. Don't shoot! It's me! Matt."

The younger Hardy's breath caught in his chest as he watched the other man take a few steps closer to him. "Ma... Matt?" he repeated.

"Yeah, Jeffro. It's me! Your brother!" The man's tone was different than it had been only a moment before, but still, Jeff found himself unsure. "Please, don't shoot!"

Jeff looked at him for a moment longer, sighing as he slowly started to lower the gun. But his heart nearly stopped when a dark smirk appeared on the other man's face, his eyes gleaming. "Such a sentimental fool," he murmured, reaching into his sweatshirt and pulling out a second handgun.

There was a tense moment of silence. Then, a gunshot echoed in the night air around them.

* * *

Adam hurried through the waiting room, pushing the door of the hospital room open as he walked outside. He looked around at the dark parking lot, frantically searching for any sign of the brothers. "Jeff!" he shouted. "Jeff!"

Then, he jumped when he heard a gunshot from off to his left, and dread flooding through him, Adam ran in the direction of the sound. He turned into an alley on the side of the hospital, and he gasped at the sight.

Jeff was kneeling on the ground next to Matthew, looking at him with horror. "Matt?" he was saying anxiously. "Matt!"

Adam slowly walked toward them, his eyes saddening. The older Hardy's face was pale, his breathing shallow as blood blossomed on his chest. Jeff pulled off his sweatshirt and bunched it up, pressing firmly down on the gunshot wound. "Matt, can you hear me? Matt!"

Then, the wounded man's eyes slowly fluttered open, landing on his younger brother. "Jeff... Jeff?" he said in a voice hardly above a whisper.

Tears rushed to Jeff's eyes when he recognized the eyes of his brother looking up at him. "I'm right here, Matt," he muttered, taking a deep breath. "I'm right here."

Matt's face contorted with pain as Jeff continued to apply the pressure to his chest, struggling to take full breaths. "What... what happened...?" he asked quietly.

Jeff gave him a small smile. "It's okay. You're going to be okay, Matt," he answered, his voice starting to get choked up by the tears in his eyes. "And guess what? We got Lexie back. She's safe."

"Lex... Lexie's safe?" Matt repeated, a small smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Yes." Jeff nodded, feeling a single tear fall from his eye. "And everyone else is safe too. It's going to be okay, Matt, I promise."

Matt looked up at his younger brother, his smile widening. "I'm glad... Jeffro..." he whispered before closing his eyes again.

Jeff's eyes widened anxiously. "Matt? Stay with me, okay? Matt!"

Adam knelt down on Matt's other side across from Jeff, placing two fingers on his neck to check for a pulse. "He's hanging in there," he muttered. "But we have to get him inside. Come on, help me."

Almost in a daze, Jeff helped Adam get Matt off the ground, trying to support him as much as possible as they made their way toward the hospital. "I... I had no choice," the younger Hardy said, clearly still in shock. "He was going to shoot me... It was a natural reflex..."

"I know, Jeff, it's not your fault," Adam assured him, pushing the door open with his back as he entered the waiting room with the Hardys right with him. A nurse that was standing behind the desk saw them, immediately calling for a doctor.

Everything was a blur to Jeff. He hardly felt when Matt was taken from him and Adam by a few nurses and put on a stretcher, hardly noticed when he was brought through the door that led to the patients' rooms, hardly felt Adam's hand rest comfortingly on his shoulder. The only thing he did feel were the sobs that shook his entire body as tears fell freely from his eyes, allowing himself to be supported by Adam before he collapsed to the floor.

The only thing he knew was that if he had succeeded in killing Matthew, he was also responsible for the death of his older brother.

* * *

"Do you have any news on Matt's condition?"

Looking back at his best friend, Adam slowly shook his head. "No, not yet," he said, running his hand through his hair. "It's been a few hours. We'll probably hear something soon, though." He paused. "Jeff's been waiting outside his room the entire time. He feels terrible. He shot him out of self defense since Matthew was going to shoot him otherwise."

Jay sighed. They were both standing in the waiting room of the hospital, trying to come to terms with everything that had just occurred. "I know what he's going through," he muttered, remembering Matthew's earlier words to him. "Nearly taking the life of his own brother. Having to watch him struggle to cling to life..."

Adam's eyes narrowed with concern. "Hey, Man, where is this coming from?" he asked. "If this is about what happened in that hotel..." He stopped when Jay couldn't meet his gaze. "It is, isn't it? Jay, we've been over this. It's over..."

"I know." Jay continued to stare at the ground. "Matthew was talking to me before you and Jeff got to the room. He said it was my fault you almost died in that hotel, called me weak for not being able to kill you. Said my feelings got in the way..."

"So, he basically called you weak for saving my life?" When Jay nodded, Adam chuckled quietly as he shook his head. "Jay, that doesn't make you weak. You turned on a homicidal maniac. That takes guts, Man. Don't listen to what Matthew says..."

Despite himself, Jay felt a smile appear on his face. "Look, I know all of that. What I did to you in that hotel was an accident," he said, looking up at his best friend. "It's just hearing it..."

Sighing, Adam placed his hand on the other man's shoulder. "I understand that," he replied. "But there are some things we just have to let go of, things that were out of our control, so they don't keep eating away until there's nothing left of us, Jay. I... I have to do the same with Amy."

Jay looked at Adam for a long moment, but before he could say anything, they heard a door to the waiting room open, and they watched as Taryn entered from where all the patients were kept. Her face was slightly pale, her eyes damp and red-rimmed. The two men exchanged glances, and Jay sighed when Adam nodded in her direction. When he nodded a second time, Jay took a deep breath before he walked over to meet her. Adam went to a chair across the room and sat down, picking up another outdated celebrity magazine and hid his face behind it.

"Hey, Taryn, everything okay?" Jay wondered.

Taryn looked up at him for a moment before wrapping her arms around him tightly, taking a deep breath. "Jay..." she murmured.

Caught off guard by the sudden action, Jay wound his arms around her as well, holding her close. "Taryn, what's wrong? Is Drew okay?"

"Yeah, Drew's going to be fine," Taryn told him, but she didn't release her hold on him. "That's not it..."

"Then what is it?" Jay pressed, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. He didn't know what else would cause her to act like this.

Taryn sighed, biting her lip before looking in his eyes. "I don't know," she said quietly, uncertainly. "I can't really explain it..."

Jay's eyes narrowed slightly with concern. "Can you try? I can help if you tell me what's going on," he replied.

"I know," Taryn muttered, wiping at a stray tear that fell from her eye. "It's just... I've spent the last few hours with Drew. He's awake, not able to do anything, of course... but awake. The nurses were explaining to me how he has some physical atrophy from not moving, and his speech and memory won't be the best at first... I understand that, I do. He's been in a coma for a little over a week. But..."

"But?" Jay looked down at Taryn, waiting patiently for her to continue.

Taryn sighed, shaking her head slightly. "It's not Drew," she told him.

"What do you mean?" Jay asked, feeling her arms tighten around him.

"Most of the time I was in the room with him, he was looking at me," Taryn answered quietly, her voice trembling slightly. "I think he recognized me, I could see that, but... but those aren't the eyes of the man I married. Those aren't Drew's eyes. There's no other way I can explain it."

Jay sighed, tenderly brushing some of her hair back from her face. "Maybe he just needs time, Taryn," he suggested. "As you said, he's been in a coma for a little over a week. Maybe when he starts getting stronger, he'll start getting back to his normal self."

"Yeah, maybe..." Taryn agreed quietly, almost thoughtfully. But then, she sighed as she let go of him. "Sorry about that."

"That's okay," Jay assured her. "Glad I could help."

Taryn gave him a small smile, but then her gaze saddened. "I heard about Jeff and Matthew..." she muttered.

Jay sighed. "Yeah, it's really taking its toll on Jeff," he said. "Matthew's been stopped, but at what price? We haven't heard anything about Matt's condition yet."

"That's awful. I hope he'll be okay." Taryn bit her lip before meeting Jay's eyes. "I actually wanted to talk to you about him... Something he said."

"What is it?" Jay wondered curiously.

Taryn ran her hand through her hair nervously. "When he was strangling you, he mentioned something about how you had... feelings for me," Taryn explained hesitantly. "I was just wondering... Is it true? It came from Matthew, so..."

Jay sighed as he dropped his gaze from hers. "I don't know the best way to put this, so I'm just going to say it," he muttered. "I'm still not sure how Matthew knew, but yes. It's true. Ever since working with you in ECW, I've felt this connection with you. I... love you. I just never said anything before now since you were so happy with Drew, and I didn't want to ruin what you guys had."

More tears formed in Taryn's eyes, but she averted her gaze as she forced them back. "That's what I was afraid of," she said, looking back at him. "You're a great friend, and I don't want to lose that. But I want to stay that way. I don't feel the same way. I never should have kissed you that night, because now, I feel like I've hurt you, which I don't want to do. I love you as a friend, and that will never change. But I'm with Drew. I'm sorry, Jay. I hope you're not mad."

"No, not at all," Jay told her with a smile. "I'm glad you found someone you can be happy with."

Taryn returned it, giving him a quick hug. "Thank you," she whispered before releasing him, turning and walking back through the door that led to the patients' rooms.

Jay watched her until the door closed behind her, and his smile vanished as he sighed. He turned around, seeing Adam was looking up at him from his chair against the opposite wall before slowly lowering his gaze back down to the magazine on his lap. Jay ran his hand through his short hair, slowly walking over to join his best friend. At least he had told her.

Taryn quickly walked down the hallway toward her husband's room, not looking back as she turned the corner. So, Matthew had been right after all. Jay really did love her. It was a thought that had been on her mind since she had heard the man mention it, and now that Jay had confirmed it, it was even weighing more heavily on her thoughts. She wished she had known how Jay felt sooner. Perhaps that way, she could have saved him, and herself, some of the pain she knew they both must have been feeling.

She pushed open the door to Drew's room, seeing the nurses were still there to keep tabs on him. His almost empty eyes moved in her direction when she closed the door again behind her, and Taryn looked back into them, taking a deep breath as tears rushed to her own eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jay..."

* * *

_A man, his face hidden by shadow, held Lexie in his arms, laughing as she continued to cry..._

"Daddy!"

Phil gasped as his eyes snapped open, sitting straight up on the bed. He looked around at the dark room, pushing some hair that had fallen into his face aside as he waited to hear the voice again.

"Daddy!"

He looked down at the bed next to him, seeing his daughter had been crying in her sleep as she shouted out with fear. Phil immediately picked her up, holding her close to him. "I'm right here, Lex, it's okay," he said in a soothing voice, rubbing her back as she coughed. "It's okay... It was just a dream. You're safe."

Lexie clung to Phil tightly as she buried her face in his chest, still coughing a little as her sobs slowly started to die away. "Scared... Daddy..." she murmured in between her tears. "Man had me..."

"Well, he's not going to hurt you," Phil replied, kissing her head as he tightened his arms around her a little. "You're with Daddy now, and Daddy's not going to let you go. I promise."

"Okay, Daddy..."

Then, Phil glanced over his shoulder when the small lamp beside the bed was turned on, casting some light into the hotel room. Maria had propped herself up on her arm, looking at her husband and daughter with concern through tired eyes. "Are you okay, sweetheart?" she asked, seeing her daughter's tear-stained face.

Lexie slowly nodded, not releasing her hold on Phil. "Daddy said I'm safe now," she answered.

Maria smiled, sitting up and leaning closer to her daughter to kiss her forehead. "And Daddy's right," she said, running her thumb lightly over her cheeks to wipe her tears away. "You are safe now."

"I know, Mommy," Lexie replied with a smile, snuggling closer into Phil's chest. "Daddy keeps bad man away."

"And don't you forget it." Phil laughed a little, rubbing her back again. "You can sleep easily, Lex. Mommy and I will still be here."

Lexie looked up at Phil and Maria, her tears stopping. "Don't wanna sleep," she replied, sticking out her bottom lip as she pouted. "Don't wanna see that man."

Phil smiled back at her. "Hey, didn't you just say I keep that bad man away?" he wondered. "If you see him again, just tell him Daddy will kick his butt."

This made Lexie laugh, but then, she yawned. "Okay. I will, Daddy," she muttered as her eyes started to droop.

"That's my girl." Phil kissed Lexie's head as her eyes closed. "Sweet dreams."

"She's _so_ tired," Maria said, running her hand through her daughter's dark hair. "But I'm not surprised she's having nightmares."

"Same here. Being kidnapped must have been traumatizing for her," Phil agreed. "Do you want to sleep with her between us? That might be easier for her."

Maria nodded, situating her pillow a little so it was more comfortable before turning the lamp off again. "Sure, fine with me," she told him as she laid down with a yawn of her own.

Phil smiled at his wife, leaning down and kissing her head before he laid beside her. Maria returned the smile, moving a little closer to him as she wrapped her arms around Lexie. Phil wound his arm around his wife, holding both of his girls close to him as his eyes slowly closed. After the phone call he had gotten from Adam earlier that night, telling him about what had happened with Matthew, he knew he could finally rest easy knowing the people he loved were safe and that finally, it was over.

**Author's Note**: Yep, I realize there are still some unanswered questions, lol. I did this on purpose. That's why there's an epilogue. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey, guys, thanks for your reviews! This is the last update for this story, but there will be an announcement at the end. This may not go exactly the way you thought (after all, you never know what to expect with these, lol), but the questions will be answered. Thanks for sticking with me through this trilogy! Enjoy the last update!

_Epilogue_

_"And even in my darkest hour_

_When my world's gone sour_

_When I look out into the night_

_I know you're always there for me..."_

- "New Day's Dawn," Fozzy

_One month later... _

Jay slowly opened his eyes, looking around the dark room and wondering what had woken him up. He and Adam had flown into Chicago earlier that day for Lexie's birthday the next day, staying in the same hotel as the rest of their friends who were there for the event. He glanced at the bed that was next to his, able to see in the faint moonlight filtering in through the window that Adam was still asleep, so he hadn't been the one who had caused him to wake up.

Then, he heard it. It was a quiet knocking sound, signaling someone was at their door.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Jay slowly got out from under the covers and crossed the room, yawning as he pulled open the door. He blinked with surprise when he saw who was standing on the other side. "Taryn?"

Taryn gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry it's so late, Jay," she said quietly, biting her lip. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Jay rubbed his eyes again. "Um, yeah, but no big deal," he told her. He looked at her closely, noticing her face was pale and her eyes tear-filled. "Taryn, are you okay?"

Sighing, Taryn raised her left hand and brushed some hair behind her ear, and Jay's eyes narrowed slightly when he saw there was no ring on her finger. "What happened?" he pressed with concern.

"Can I come in?" Taryn asked in nearly a whisper, a single tear falling from her eye.

Jay nodded, stepping back from the doorway so she could come in. Taryn wiped the tear from her cheek as she stepped inside, Jay closing the door quietly behind her. They both walked further into the room, sitting next to each other on the couch. "So what happened?" he repeated, keeping his voice down so he wouldn't wake Adam.

Taryn took a deep breath, leaning forward and resting her arms on her knees. "Well, it's kind of a long story," she muttered. "But the last month has been hard..."

"Well, I don't mind listening," Jay replied. "Take as long as you need to."

"Okay." Taryn waited for a moment, forcing her tears back before she began. "The first week after Drew woke up was a long one, but that was to be expected. It wasn't until the end of that week that his memory came back, and since he lost some of his English, it took him that week to relearn it. For about a week after that, he had some physical therapy sessions due to the atrophy. All of this was fine. I was patient and there for him every step of the way. Never once did I blame him for the slow recovery process."

"That's good," Jay said, trying to be encouraging. "At least he's recovering." But when he saw Taryn's expression stayed blank, he rested his hand on her shoulder. "What happened then, Taryn?"

Taryn looked back at him, fresh tears in her eyes. "Remember the night he woke up when I told you the eyes I saw weren't Drew's?" she wondered. "And you said in time he would probably be back to normal?" When Jay nodded, she sighed and lowered her gaze. "A month later... they're still not Drew's eyes."

Jay's gaze saddened, and he wrapped his arm around her, surprised when she leaned into him. He really couldn't think of anything to say as she rested her head on his shoulder, so he didn't say anything, hoping his presence would be enough.

"He's just not Drew anymore," Taryn continued quietly. "Part of it has to do with the coma, I'm sure, but even before that..." She paused for a minute. "Even before all of that happened, I was feeling tension in our relationship. Sure, a lot of times we worked through it, but in the back of my mind, I found myself wondering how long that was going to last before something else happened. Hell, the last time I really talked to Drew before he was attacked, we were in a fight! That's why... that's why I was afraid to tell him I was pregnant. We weren't planning on having children... He doesn't want them yet. I didn't want to bring my child into that sort of uncertainty. I just can't believe it took this whole thing to make me realize we were falling out of love for some time now..."

"Is that why... you took your ring off?" Jay asked hesitantly.

Taryn laughed a little. "You noticed that, huh?" She took a deep breath as she straightened up again. "Drew and I flew out here earlier today. And... I don't know what happened. He wasn't talking to me at all, so I tried starting a conversation. He was impatient with me. I mentioned something about how much he's changed, and... he just lost his temper. I couldn't deal with it anymore. So, I took my ring off, left it in the room, and came here. It's not official yet, by any means, but... I'm going to start filing for a divorce as soon as I can. I can't bring my child into this, Jay."

"I understand," Jay told her, brushing some hair behind her ear. "I'm glad you came here when things got that bad." Then, his eyes narrowed slightly when Taryn bit her bottom lip nervously. "Is there something else?"

"Yeah," Taryn muttered with a sigh. "I need to get this off my chest. I... I lied to you, Jay, and I'm sorry about that. I felt like I had my obligations, and that stopped me from telling you what I should have."

"What do you mean?" Jay looked at her with confusion.

Taryn slowly met his gaze. "When you told me you loved me that night at the hospital, and I told you I didn't feel the same," she explained. "I looked you straight in the eye, and... I lied."

Jay looked at her with surprise. "Taryn..." he began, but he stopped when she held her hand up.

"Please, Jay, just let me finish," she said. "It took me until Drew's coma to realize it, but... I love you too. I have since working with you. That special friendship we had... I know now that's what it was. It was you I loved all along. But I didn't think you felt the same, so I never said anything. I was naive, a girl looking for love and rushing into it when she thought she found it. Ignoring what was right in front of her when it was there all along. Maybe if I had slowed down a little, I would have realized how I actually felt a lot sooner. Maybe then I could have stopped this mess from happening..." She sighed, putting her head in her hands. "I just feel like I told you this too late."

"No, Taryn," Jay replied gently, placing his hand on her cheek. "It's not too late."

Taryn looked at him carefully, trying to read the look in his eyes. "Really?" she wondered hopefully.

Jay smiled, nodding slightly. Then, he slowly started to lean toward her, both of them closing their eyes when their lips were only inches apart.

But then, Jay sighed and pulled away when a loud sound came from across the room. He looked over at Adam's bed, Taryn smiling slightly next to him, when he heard his best friend had started snoring. "Excuse me while I smother him with his pillow," he muttered, starting to push himself to his feet.

Taryn laughed, placing her hand on his arm to pull him back down to the couch. "Jay, it's okay, really," she told him, the smile still lingering on her face. "He has no idea what's going on right now."

Jay laughed a little himself. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he agreed, feigning disappointment. "It's not his fault."

"Nope." Taryn smiled at him, reaching up and running her hand through his short hair. Then, she pulled him into a soft kiss. Jay returned it with a little more intensity, wrapping his arms around her as he held her close. They broke it after a long moment, Taryn smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder again.

"So, what are you going to do tonight?" Jay asked. "I don't want you going back to your room..."

Taryn raised her head again to look at him. "Well... Would it be okay if I stayed here?" she wondered. "Just for the night?"

Jay nodded. "Of course," he told her. "If you want, you can take my bed, and I'll sleep on the couch..."

"Don't be ridiculous," Taryn replied with a smile. "I'll take the couch. No big deal. After all, I've invaded your room."

"Are you sure?" Jay didn't like the idea much. "I don't mind."

Taryn kissed his cheek. "Yes, I'm sure," she said. "I'd feel better if I took the couch."

Sighing, Jay took her hand and squeezed it. "Here. Let me at least do this for you." He got off the couch and walked over to his bed, picking up the second pillow and one of the blankets. He paused, looking down at his still snoring best friend for a moment before hitting him with the pillow. Adam turned over to face the other way as his snores stopped, but otherwise remained asleep.

"There, that's better," Jay muttered with a smile as he walked back to the couch, handing Taryn the pillow and blanket when she got to her feet.

Taryn returned the smile as she set the pillow on one end of the couch, turning back to Jay and giving him a tight hug. "I love you," she whispered, the words coming effortlessly.

"I love you too," Jay replied, meeting her lips in another quick kiss. "Good night." He watched as Taryn laid down on the couch, getting comfortable under the blanket as she closed her eyes. He leaned over, kissing her head before going back to his bed, getting under the covers and looking at Taryn until his eyes closed, not able to believe she had actually shared his feelings all along.

He wasn't sure how long he lay in bed, drifting in and out of sleep, but Jay slowly opened his eyes when he felt some more weight on the bed behind him. He started to turn over, seeing Taryn had brought her pillow and blanket back to the bed and was lying on it a good distance from him.

But when she felt him move, she quickly opened her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jay," she whispered. "I thought you were sleeping."

"It's fine, I was pretty much awake," Jay replied just as quietly, completely turning over to face her. "Are you okay?"

Taryn nodded. "I just can't sleep," she told him. "I thought it might be a bit easier if I was closer to someone."

Jay gave her a small smile. "I'm glad you came over then," he muttered, holding his arm out to her. "Come on."

Taryn looked at him for a moment before smiling as she moved closer to him, snuggling into Jay's chest as he wrapped his arm around her securely. She closed her eyes, already feeling better because of his closeness. "Thank you, Jay..."

"Of course." Jay lightly kissed her forehead, able to tell by her light, even breathing that she had already fallen asleep. "Good night, Taryn."

* * *

"Happy birthday, Lexie!"

The excited three-year-old grinned as she stood up on her chair, Phil placing his hands on her waist so she wouldn't fall, as she blew out the matching number of candles on her cake. The rest of the group sitting around her clapped as Lexie laughed, Maria catching everything on her video camera.

"What'd you wish for, Lex?" Phil wondered with a smile.

"Silly Daddy," Lexie told him in a matter-of-fact tone. "Can't tell you! It won't come true!"

"Yeah, Phil," Adam added from his chair next to the girl. "You should know that."

Phil rolled his eyes at the other man in mock annoyance before he kissed his daughter's head. "Of course I knew that," he muttered. "Whatever it is, girlie, I hope it comes true."

Lexie smiled, wrapping her arms tightly around her father's neck. "Love you, Daddy!"

"Love you too, Lex." Then, Phil picked up the knife off the table. "Okay, time to cut the cake. Birthday girl gets first pick."

"Um..." Lexie smiled as she pointed at the center. "I want my name!"

Phil raised an eyebrow. "Can you eat it all?" he asked. The pink lettering of her name was the biggest thing on the cake aside from the words "happy birthday." "How about just the 'L'?"

"Hmm, okay!" Lexie agreed.

"All right." Phil carefully started to cut around the first letter of his daughter's name, putting it on a paper plate and setting it in front of her. "There you go, Lex."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Lexie then hopped off her chair before climbing up to sit on Adam's lap, reaching for her plate.

"Here, sweetheart," Maria said, turning off her video camera and setting it down before handing Lexie her plate. "Careful to not spill on your dress, okay?"

Lexie smiled, taking a bite of the vanilla cake, smearing a little of the buttercream frosting on her cheek. "Okay, Mommy!"

"Well, Adam, since you're next, what piece do you want?" Phil asked.

"It doesn't matter," Adam answered, catching a small piece of cake that fell off Lexie's fork so it wouldn't land on her navy blue dress.

Phil looked down at the cake for a moment before he smirked, quickly cutting him a piece and putting it on a plate as he handed it to him. Adam sighed when he looked at it, seeing it was one of the pink frosting flowers. "Thanks, Man," he muttered. "You just had to..."

"Well, then you should be more specific next time," Phil told him with a laugh, preparing to cut pieces for the rest of the group.

When everyone got a piece, Phil sat down next to his wife at the table as she smiled broadly at all of the people sitting at their kitchen table. Lexie, Adam, Jay, Taryn, John, Jeff, and her husband. After everything that had happened, it was a reprieve to have everyone together for a happy occasion.

Then, she looked up when she heard the doorbell ring. "I'll get it, sweetheart," she muttered to Phil when he started to get up, kissing his cheek before crossing the room. She opened the door, seeing Drew on the other side. "Hey, come on in!"

But the Scotsman only chuckled quietly and shook his head. "No, I'm not going to stay," he said. "I just wanted to drop this off since Taryn didn't bring it. It's our gift for Lexie."

"Oh, thank you!" Maria replied, taking the wrapped box from him. It had been a surprise to her when Taryn had shown up at their house with Adam and Jay, but after learning something had happened between her and Drew, it was understandable. She could see the change in him as she looked at him now. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for a little bit?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Drew told her with a slight smile. "Thank you anyway."

Maria returned the smile. "Let me at least give you a piece of cake to take with you," she offered.

"Well... all right," Drew muttered. "Thank you." He watched as the redhead turned and walked back into the house, setting the gift he had given her on a table with the others before going to where the group was sitting. He leaned against the doorway, seeing Taryn sitting with Jay as she ate her cake. She was laughing at something he had said, the broad smile lingering on her face as she leaned closer to him.

Then, her gaze moved over to the door and landed on him, and her smile slowly vanished. Drew took a deep breath, giving her a small smile as he slightly nodded. Relief crossed Taryn's face as she returned the smile before turning her attention back to Jay.

"Here you go, Drew."

Drew moved his gaze away from Taryn when Maria came back, holding out a plate with a piece of cake on it covered in plastic wrap. "Thanks, Maria," he said, taking it from her. "I'll see you later. I hope Lexie has a great birthday."

"See you later, Drew, and thank you," Maria replied, giving him a quick hug. She smiled as he began to walk away from the house, shutting the door behind him.

Once everyone was finished with their cake, Lexie having to give some of hers to Adam, the group started to make their way to the living room so they could watch the three-year-old open her gifts while Phil and Maria began to pick up the mess from the cake. Lexie watched Jeff carefully as he sat in a chair away from the others and looked out the window, sighing before she went over to him.

"Why you sad?" she asked. "Today happy day!"

Jeff looked down at her, giving her a small smile. "I'm not sad," he answered quietly.

"You look sad," Lexie muttered.

The younger Hardy laughed, picking up the little girl when she held her arms out to him and setting her on his lap. "Why would I be sad on your birthday?" he wondered.

Lexie shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "You tell me."

Jeff's green eyes faltered a little, but he did his best to hide it behind a smile. "It's nothing, Lexie, okay?" he muttered. "Today's your day, and that's what's important. I'm not sad. Promise."

"Hmm..." Lexie looked at him for a moment before reaching up and placing her small hand on his cheek. "It's okay," she told him. "It get better."

The younger Hardy looked down at her with surprise, Lexie only smiling before she hopped off his lap and ran to the gift table when Phil and Maria came into the room. The three-year-old jumped up and down with excitement while her mother started video recording, and her father helped her decide which present she wanted to open first. Jeff knew that it was impossible for Lexie to know what was on his mind, but yet, she had told him just what he needed to hear.

* * *

Jeff slowly walked down the hallway, sighing as he came to a stop in front of the door that had 33 in fading gold numbers on it. He waited for a long moment, simply staring at the two numbers before finally knocking.

"Come in."

Jeff ran his hand through his hair, taking a deep breath as he turned the handle and pushed the door open. He looked around the room as he shut the door behind him, seeing there was a bed against the wall and a chair next to the window. A television was across the room from the furniture, a small bookshelf filled with reading material right beside it.

"Hey, Man," he said, seeing the person he had come to see was sitting on the bed with a book in his hands.

Matt looked up at the familiar voice, a smile appearing on his face. "Hey, Jeffro!" he replied cheerfully, marking his page and setting the book aside. "What brings you here?"

Jeff returned the smile as he walked closer to the bed. "Just thought I'd come say hi," he told him. "I know it must get kinda lonely."

"Yeah, it does," Matt agreed. "And when you only get basic cable, it gets boring pretty quick too." He laughed a little. "But that's why I asked to get transfered to the one here in Raleigh. I'm closer to my family that way, and I think it'll make this fight easier for me."

"That's good. And you're closer, so it's easier for me to visit you." Jeff looked at his older brother sadly. He knew Matt wasn't completely aware of the reason he was being kept in the hospital for his multiple personality disorder, but at least he understood that it was something he had to have controlled. He didn't remember anything Matthew had done, and for that, the younger Hardy was grateful.

Matt nodded. "And that's what's important to me," he said with a smile. "Oh! And they have a weight and exercise room I can use a couple times a week, and that helps a lot."

"I'm glad you're making yourself comfortable here," Jeff muttered, returning the smile.

"Yeah, I'm making it by." Matt's gaze faltered a little. "Jeff. Can I ask you something?"

Jeff looked at his brother curiously. "Sure, Matt. What is it?"

Matt slowly turned to look at his brother, a sad look in his dark eyes. "You know... what I did." It was a statement, not a question. "Jeff... what did I do to you? To all of you?"

"First off, it wasn't you," Jeff said quickly, his gaze saddening. "It was the other personality. And... It's over, Matt. None of it was your fault."

"Did I... did _he_ kill anyone?" Matt asked quietly. "Will you at least tell me that?"

Jeff sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Yes," he answered, not able to meet his brother's gaze. "The other two people who were working for Shane McMahon."

Matt looked at the younger Hardy with confusion. "But I thought he was working with Shane," he said.

"I don't know what his reasonings were, Matt," Jeff muttered, a thin line of tears forming in his eyes. "But it doesn't matter anymore. You're in control, and hopefully with time spent here, Matthew won't emerge again."

"Hopefully," Matt agreed, though there was a look in his eye that the younger Hardy couldn't quite read. "It's just... I can't imagine someone else doing something through me that I have no recollection of... At least he didn't kill any of you. I don't know what I would do if that happened."

Jeff forced his tears back as he placed his hand on the older Hardy's shoulder. "That's all that matters. All of us, including you, are all right," he told him with a small smile. "And now, you just need to have the strength to keep fighting, Matt, and know I'll be fighting with you."

Matt looked at his younger brother for a long moment, tears forming in his own eyes as he wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. "Thank you, Jeff," he whispered.

Sighing, Jeff hugged him back, resting his head on his shoulder. "You don't need to thank me," he replied with a slight laugh as his tears came back. "I'll be with you every step of the way. That's what brothers do."

"True. And I couldn't ask for a better one." Matt smiled at Jeff once they parted, ruffling his hair.

The two brothers lost track of how much time they sat together, just talking and laughing. Finally, the younger Hardy left, saying how he had to get home to Beth. They gave each other a goodbye hug, Matt's smile still lingering even after the door closed behind Jeff. He turned to look out the window, seeing the sun was starting to set over the city. He felt stronger than he had when he had first arrived at the hospital, and he knew his brother's support had a lot to do with that. It wasn't going to be easy, but he knew with that behind him, he had the strength to keep fighting.

Matthew wouldn't be coming back.

_"When my demons start to call_

_I need you to save me_

_And if the heavens were to fall_

_I need you to pray for me_

_And even in my darkest hour_

_When my world's gone sour_

_When I look out into the night_

_I know you're always there for me..."_

**The End**

**Author's Note**: Okay, so here's my announcement. No, there's not going to be a fourth story, per se. This is truly the end of this trilogy. BUT, I am going to be doing an off-branch story focusing on Jay and Taryn's relationship since I feel as though their storyline isn't quite tied up. So, be on the lookout for that. Thanks again for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated! Thank you! And I'm glad you enjoyed this trilogy.


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